Betrayal of Trust
by Chris St Thomas
Summary: Trust AU. Follow up to Confessions. Brings in 'new' characters and reinterprets some 'old' faves. Explores what might cause the world to lose faith in Superman and how he and his friends might react. Recall that Bizarro is often a flawed clone of Kal-El
1. Prolog: Superman meets Green Lantern

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make no money yet.

Author's Note: This story is essentially a direct sequel to Confessions. It draws inspiration from S1, S2, SR and other DC Comics. I'm borrowing some characters from Smallville and attempting to reconcile some continuity between the TV show and the films, in order to do that I have had to make some adjustments to the timelines. For the sake of my story, Superman Returns happened as it did in the film: late summer of 2006, therefore Superman II took place 5 to 6 years earlier in 2000 or 2001, and Superman "1" a few years before that with Clark Kent and Lois Lane's heyday as reporters coming in between. Therefore, Smallville is pushed back into the late 1980s/ early 1990s.

Setting the Stage and Getting Characters to "First Positions"

"Do the words 'unexplained phenomenon' mean anything to you, Chief?" A slightly frustrated Major Kyle Rayner, Air Force Reserves, yelled over the sounds of whirling rotor blades as a bright orange Coast Guard helicopter lifted off behind him. He set his ruck sack and Kevlar helmet on the concrete tarmac at his feet. The sun had set and stars were coming out in a cloudless desert sky, but his day was far from over. He had a grieving woman and Superman to see before the day was out. He wasn't looking forward to either.

"There's no place on the paper work for 'unexplained phenomenon,' sir" a tired Chief Master Sergeant yelled back, tapping his clipboard. "The rest of your squadron signed their fighter jets back in hours ago, a little bit late. Now we can overlook that in light of everything that went down today. But yours has been waiting here on the flight line the whole time. I'm going to have to turn it over to the night shift for maintenance. And I have to have an explanation for that to Base HQ. Not to mention that we've been keeping the news hounds at bay all afternoon: Sean Hannity, Anderson Cooper, Richard White."

"Is there a place on the paperwork for unscheduled joint operations? How about that?" Damn bureaucratic paperwork, Rayner thought, reminds me of why I left active duty in the first place. That and some very unsettling experiences during a lost patrol in the first Iraq War. Destroying the enemy from thousands of feet up in air to air combat was what he had signed up for; not close quarters combat on the deck with 7.62 mm ammo and bayonets. His wingman's uncle offered both of them jobs at the Daily Planet and Rayner jumped for it. Working for the Planet would pay the bills while he poured his feelings out through paint and canvas.

"'Joint Operations,' that will work," replied the Chief Master Sergeant, relieved to have it settled. "General Sellars reads these personally. He'll like the sound of that."

"Two Star General Shane Sellars?"

"Yes, sir, Major." The Chief Master Sergeant replied with pride.

"Who do you think okayed my trip out there in the first place?" The sound of the helicopter had dissipated but Rayner yelled anyway. As he gestured with both hands, the ring on his left hand glowed like a smoldering green ember. The Chief of Maintenance could go home to his wife and kids after these forms were completed and the fighter jet was towed off the flight line into the maintenance bays. But Rayner had new responsibilities and no time for this. He hefted his ruck sack nervously, with a combat boot.

"A little testy after a hard day, are we, Major? Is that lovely brunette waiting for you at the Officers' Club? The one from Ferris Aircraft?" Crusty old Sergeants always like to hear stories about girls.

"No, it's her mother and I have got to give the lady some bad news about her former fiancé and one of my personal heroes," the Major sounded almost disgusted

"Who's that if you don't mind me asking?" queried the Chief, with less enthusiasm now that story no longer involved an attractive young woman.

"Air Force Colonel Hal Jordan." Rayner replied flatly.

The Chief of Maintenance looked up and away for a moment. "Isn't he the astronaut who disappeared up on the space mission that put the Skylab in orbit back in the Seventies?"

"Yes. Apollo 19: The Mission that No One Talks About. So, I hope you'll understand that I can't say any more about it either. Can I sign that yet? Are we done here?"

"You don't seem too excited about delivering that news to Mrs. Ferris" observed the Sergeant. "So why not let the paperwork fill some more time?"

"I have a meeting with Superman, so I have to hurry."

"The Big Blue Boy Scout, huh?" The Chief sounded like he didn't quite believe the Major. "You know MSNBC was promoting some kind of expose about The Man of Steel while you were out on your 'unscheduled joint operations.'"

"Chief, Major, if you two could just finish with the aircraft." Superman floated up out of the shadows behind the only fighter jet facing into the maintenance bays. "I'm on a tight schedule this evening as well."

"Wow, sir, you weren't kidding." The Chief looked slightly chastened.

"It's a great honor, Superman." The Major extended his hand to shake with Superman. The Man of Steel landed next to the two uniformed Air Force men, extended a fist to bump and smiled to himself. Rayner wondered at the smile, but chose not to ask. He was an artist and a fighter pilot not an intel analyst, "Thank you for taking time to meet with me."

"Major, if you would just sign here." The Chief passed the clipboard and turned back to Superman. "It makes all of us in the Military sleep just little easier at night knowing you're up in the skies again to back us up if we need you."

"Thank you, Chief. You're a credit to the Air Force." Superman responded to the Chief while Rayner signed and returned the clipboard.

"What do you think of what they're saying about you on MSNBC, Superman?" the Chief, still the curious one, asked.

"Don't believe anything about me unless you read it in the Daily Planet," the Man of Steel replied with an enigmatic look.

The Maintenance Chief took a radio off his belt and called the wranglers out of the maintenance office to move the fighter jet. Major Rayner hefted the ruck sack back up onto his left shoulder, hung the Kevlar helmet from a canteen on the opposite hip, and led the way back toward the flight briefing room. "I wouldn't go that way, if I were you, Major. Sean Hannity from Fox News and Anderson Cooper from CNN are waiting in the flight briefing room with news crews."

"Thanks, Chief." The pilot turned and led the way back to the locker room.

"So, Major Rayner," Superman began in the hallway, "the Daily Planet Online is reporting that the unexplained phenomenon turned out to be just an old piece of Skylab era space junk that finally fell to earth. Why would that make you call the Daily Planet's main office to get in touch with me?" Superman asked.

"That piece of space junk was an Apollo Return Module that disappeared from radar in 1973. The anomalies were Colonel Jordan, who died in front of me just hours ago, and ..." Rayner set the ruck sack down in front of his locker and started off to make sure the locker room was empty.

"It's okay, Major." Superman said in a reassuring tone. "Just keep your voice down." The Man of Steel held his right hand out flat and lowered it. "No one is close enough to hear us."

"It was this." The fighter pilot opened the ruck sack, pulled out his flight helmet and showed the Man of Steel a Lantern. A green Lantern that looked like it had been designed in a wind tunnel for trains that traveled between the stars.

"Tell me about it." The Man of Steel looked at the Lantern as though he might have recognized it.

"I will later, if that's alright." Rayner began stowing his Kevlar and other tactical gear in his locker. "Right now, I have to find the son of Jor-El, of Krypton. You're the only Kryptonian anyone knows, so will you help me?"

"Now I know how Ben Kenobi felt in the first Star Wars movie when Luke Skywalker said he was looking for Obi-wan." Superman chuckled to himself.

"You are the son of Jor-El?" Rayner said somewhat surprised. "I thought I was off on some D&D style quest. That was easy. I hope the next part is just as easy."

"What?" The Man of Steel asked

"Hal Jordan told me to link this 'Battery,'" Rayner gestured to the Lantern,  
with the back up copy of the Green Lantern Corps AI that Jor-El set up on Earth for the Guardians of the Galaxy."

"I keep discovering new things about my father," Krypton's Last Son said to himself. Then he looked over at Rayner, "Apparently my father wasn't just the contingency planner for me and Krypton, but for the whole Galaxy as well." The hero paused for a moment's thought.

"Did he say anything else about this back up AI?" Superman asked reaching for the Lantern, "Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead." Major Rayner looked up and away for a moment as though the answer he sought was written on the roof of the locker room. "He said it had been here for generations."

Superman held the Lantern up, looked at its base, traced its outline with a finger. "Did he say generations or millennia or what?"

"No he definitely said generations." Rayner looked thoughtful, carefully recalling exact words.

"Then we're probably not looking for the Easter Island Statues or the Incan Pyramids or the Sphinx in Egypt." The Man of Steel thought out loud.

"Yeah, he would have said thousands of years or millennia if he meant something like any of them." The fighter pilot agreed

Superman pointed up with a single finger, "He must mean the Koahchee Caves in Kansas. There's an outline in one of the cave drawings that resembles this Lantern and an indentation in the control table that would fit its base."

"Indian Caves in Kansas?" The Air Force Major sounded incredulous.

"Yeah, the art and carvings have been there for generations, not millennia." The Last Son of Krypton looked incredulous for a moment. "And after my ship, the caves were my only contact with my Kryptonian heritage until the Fortress."

"Then lead the way." Rayner looked urgent.

Superman started out the door of the locker room. But Rayner didn't follow. Rayner stood there for a moment. Here goes nothing he thought. He closed his eyes and extended his left hand as though reaching out to touch something unseen. "Uniform" he said simply. His ring glowed brighter for a moment and the glow enveloped him briefly. His flight suit and utility vest transformed into a black skin suit with green boots, white gloves, and a stylized lantern symbol in the center of his chest.

"It's a swell uniform, a little dark, perhaps except for the gloves. The Lantern Corps must use the same tailor as Batman."

"He's real?" The flyer showed no more surprise. Apparently he was past that. "I thought the Bat was just an East Coast urban legend."

"I know him. Strangely enough, he's one of my close friends, and most trusted allies. I just saw him a few hours ago.

Superman attempted to move things along, "So, how were you figuring on getting to Kansas? I don't think that Chief Master Sergeant is going to let you sign your jet back out."

"I wasn't figuring on you carrying me," Green Lantern chuckled. "There's no way that could be as comfortable as Warrior Angel or the Commander and Jetstream make it look in the comic books." He looked thoughtful for a moment as he began to levitate off the floor, "I believe I can use this ring to fly there."


	2. Lois argues with Chloe

Disclaimer – Standing upon the shoulders of creative giants like, Mario Puzo, Richard Donner, Bryan Singer, Jerry Siegal, Joel Schuster, et al, I can see far.

Author's Note RE: Time line: Smallville (late 80s, early 90s), Superman 1 (mid 90s), Clark's and Lois's heyday as investigative reporting team (late 90s), Superman 2 (2000/ 2001), Superman Returns (2006), Confessions (fall 2006).

Lois Lane sat at the breakfast table in her kitchen and fumed. _That man stole four days of my life. And he lied to me for how long?? He lied since the day I drove my truck off the road into a corn field in Lowell County, Kansas._

"Bye, Mommy! I love you!" Jason blew her kisses from the coat rack next to the utility room. He was working with his backpack of school papers to get it on over his yellow rain coat. He looked like the guy on the fish stick box. "Dad's taking me to IHOP for breakfast." His face glowed with anticipation.

"I'll be sure he eats the harvest nuts and grains pancakes, not the ones made from white flour." Richard White had grabbed his brief case and was crossing the room with the intent of kissing Lois goodbye. Her glare convinced him that Jason had a better idea; he blew her a kiss, too. "Take the day, Hon."

"What? Oh, no, I'll be in by nine for sure!" Lois declared with all the confidence of a freight train, a freight train loading in the rail yard.

"I'm serious, Hon. Take the day off. It goes with the Pulitzer. You know, that new award on the mantle?"

"But - -"

"No, buts. It's in the Strunk and White Style Manual." Richard turned from his fiancée to the other woman at the breakfast table and bowed, slightly. "It's so nice to have you back among the living, Chloe Sullivan. No one ever said so out loud, but we all thought we'd lost you at Ground Zero in New York City. You can have your old desk in the basement, next to the press room, back on Monday; I'll clear that with the Chief today."

"Thanks, Richard, but I already have a desk at the Themyscarian Consulate." The young-looking, toga-clad redhead smiled back. "They expect me there this morning, and they call me Cassiopeia."

"So I heard last night at the Pulitzer Ceremony from Diana herself." Richard replied with aplomb. "You've become an Amazon, but you'll always be family at the Planet, even if you weren't Lois's cousin. Lois can work that out with Diana, if she ever gets out of her funk."

Lois glared. Richard smiled. Jason blew more kisses. In the background, on a TV tuned to the Today Show, Randal Dather blathered on with Matt Lauer about Dather's expose on Superman and the Death of Zod and be sure to tune in to to see it on MSNBC Saturday afternoon and on NBC Sunday evening.

"I see those wheels turning amnesia girl," the Amazon pointed with a forkful of melon. "At least for you it was only four days. Last night and this morning, I'm remembering a whole other life before I arrived on Paradise Island - -"

"Hello. Do I know you?" Lois focused on her cousin for the first time that morning. "Didn't you used to be blonde?"

"You know, Lois, I honestly don't remember." Chloe looked over at Lois with practiced Amazon serenity. "Until I saw Clark again last night, I didn't remember anything before washing up on the shores of Paradise Island in the wreckage of a cruise liner. Now I'm starting to remember High School in Smallville and writing for the Planet here in Metropolis, and being Clark's side kick before the whole cape and boots thing..."

Lois tossed a napkin at Chloe.

Meanwhile on the number six train to Metropolis, inbound from the suburbs Clark Kent sat with his laptop out, working on a preliminary write up for the article with Kyle Rayner about the splashdown off the coast of California.

Green Lantern had related most of the story to Superman the previous night while flying from Edwards Air Force Base, CA to the Koahchee Caves in Lowell County, KS. So, naturally Clark had a good idea of the flow of the story.

Clark was also pretty sure that most of the details regarding the "unexplained phenomenon," the identity of the object as the Return Module from Apollo 19 and the astronaut inside it as the long missing Colonel Hal Jordan, USAF, would be classified somewhere way above Top Secret. Clark had a thirty minute conference call scheduled at 10 am Eastern Time, just before Rayner had to report to the flight line to continue simulated air to air combat. An Edwards AFB Public Relations Officer, JAG Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff (G2 Security), would also be on the call telling Kyle what questions he could and could not answer.

While the actual story was full of adventure, drama, suspense and even a little romance, the version that would actually make it into the Daily Planet would have to focus on the military response to the "anomalous bogie" involving "unscheduled joint operations" with deployments of Coast Guard ships to attempt recovery of the "object" and USAF fighter jets to provide security. He would know more, or less, depending on how one chose to think about it, when the conference call ended at 10:30 am Eastern Time.

Superman would have to introduce Green Lantern the Bat, the Archer and the rest of the heroes.

Back in the kitchen of the house Richard White and Lois Lane shared, Chloe had helped with the dishes and left for the Consulate. But Lois sat at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee and smoldered.

_The nerve of that man, Mr. I-Never-Lie- Superman, showing up on my balcony about a decade ago for that first interview with those open blue eyes and that candid smile acting like this was their first lengthy conversation! Bahh! I had worked on his mother's State Senate staff for over a year. Before that i had lived in his house for months while he slept on the couch for half of his senior year of high school. And then he flew onto my balcony and acted like we had just met for the first time the day he rescued me falling out of a helicopter over the Daily Planet Building._

_The unmitigated gall of that ALIEN from Planet Krypton, using a hypnotic kiss to hide my memories of our affair at the Fortress, him surrendering his powers in the red solar chamber and later getting them back, his mid-air battles with General Zod over the Metropolis skyline and fisticuffs in the streets with thrown busses, exploding cars, and super breath._

_The clincher was that I had actually, truly, knew-it-in-my-bones been in love with him, and he with me: To enter that red sun chamber and give up his powers with the intent of making a life together. I still can't clearly recall the lovemaking. But there was my piano-throwing, kryptonite-allergic son as proof. She did remember curling up with Clark in that silver bed afterward wanting a cigarette something fierce._

_And there was Randal Dather on TV, Prince of the Presidential National Guard Service In 1970 Scandal, blathering on again hyping his expose of Superman,_ "No one has gone on the record with the word 'murderer' yet, but the Metropolis City Prosecutor has called the Travis County District Attorney in Texas, the one who had indicted the Speaker of the House, to discuss grand jury strategies. And Former President Clint Jeffery Williamson will join us on Sunday from his Presidential Libraries in Little Rock, Arkansas, for a special discussion of Superman and Zod, too."

_I have half a mind to call my agent and go on Chris Matthews or Larry King - - I wouldn't be caught dead sharing the screen with Sean Hannity or Glen Beck - - and join the anti-Superman crusade._

Author's Note RE: Off Camera Events: Let me know if you guys out there in fan land want to know the background on Colonel Hal Jordan / Apollo 19 The Mission That No One Talks About; or Major Kyle Rayner / the "unexplained phenomenon" and how he got the Ring and Lantern; or how Chloe ended up on Paradise Island. I have worked all this stuff out. It just seems too meandering to put it up in the middle of trying to get to Ran Dather's expose of Superman as a "murderer" and Zod as a "populist peace maker."


	3. Chloe recalls arriving among the Amazons

First Positions Part Three

"Cassiopeia! What are you doing?" a commanding voice asked.

"Diana! Your Royal Highness. Hi, there. Good morning." A red haired, toga clad, radiant Chloe Sullivan stammered a sheepishly as she fumbled with her note pad and computer mouse. Chloe turned the note pad face down, covering the names of genetic engineering firms recently acquired by Lex Luthor. She maximized only one of the windows she was working on the computer terminal in the Themyscarian Consulate. "I…I was checking up on myself and seeing what's been going on in the world, while I was on Paradise Island."

"Yes, I can see that you have your credit transactions and cruise liner boarding passes from the first week of September 2001 called up on your screen there. But what else are you doing, Sister?" Diana, Princess of the Amazons, enquired openly.

"Well, that brings up a very good question, Your Royal Highness, Ma'am. Er, how come the date on my boarding pass for the cruise I took into the Aegean Sea is September 10th, 2001 and the dateline on today's Daily Planet reads October 20th, 2006?" Chloe asked the question merely attempting to distract Diana from her research into Lex Luthor, but as she listened to her own words her concern increased.

"Is it not obvious, Cassiopeia?" Diana replied, truly believing she was giving all the explanation that was needed. "Those are the dates in the calendar of the World."

"But Your Majesty, Ma'am, I remember seeing your sister, Donna, grow up from diapers until today. She just turned eighteen about four months ago." Chloe spoke with perplexity and tension rising in her voice.

"Yes," Diana spoke wistfully, her eyes focusing into the middle distance of lost in thought. She couldn't see the shear confusion coming to a point on Chloe's face. "My mother the Queen and my father, General Trevor, noted what joy it brought to everyone, having that unique exuberance of true youth on the Island again shortly after you arrived. And everyone recalled what joy I had brought to the Island when I was born in the months following World War Two. My parents decided to have another child, my sister Donna."

"Right and doing the calendar math, that means I was on Themyscaria for something well over nineteen years, maybe even two decades. So why is it that only five years and a month have passed out here in the World?!?!"

"Calm yourself, Cassiopeia." Diana touched Chloe on her shoulder blade in a soothing, motherly way, like an aunt might do for a troubled niece. "Time and Space run to suit themselves on Themyscaria. We were off the coast of North America during the 1700s so that we could influence the likes of Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton. We were in the North Sea, between England and France during the Great Depression and World War Two so that we could influence Winston Churchill and the French Resistance. And we were in the Aegean Sea in 2001 when you washed upon our shores after your cruise ship sank."

"Okay. That doesn't make any logical sense, but okay." Chloe looked like she had found the ultimate entry for her old Wall of Weird from her high school days at the Smallville High _Torch._

"And how come I haven't aged a month in that time? Why do I have the strength to bend steel in my bare hands, the speed to run a marathon in less than a half hour without feeling winded and the quickness & agility of a champion athlete? Why can I leap over hilltops in a single bound?" Chloe asked urgently.

"Sister. You have breathed our air, bathed in our waters and eaten our food. How could you fail to become one of us?" Diana replied in a tone a mother might use with a puzzled toddler.

"So what are you telling me – that I can deflect bullets with my gauntlets, like you?" Chloe's face showed her incredulousness, but the relaxed as the simplicity, clarity and truth of Diana's response sank in.

"Not quite, my dear, but you might be able to dodge them one day." Diana smiled. "Now, what else have you been looking at in the archives of the Daily Planet, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times?"

"Just catching up on history?" Chloe smiled sheepishly again.

"Cassiopeia, we have trained you and Donna and Cassandra to join our Diplomatic Corps, to speak the truth and understand falsehoods." Diana spoke directly with a hint of sternness. "Do I need to bind you with that golden Lasso of Truth that you carry on your waist?"

"No, no." Chloe flashed her palms in surrender. "I'm tracking Lex Luthor and trying to figure out what he's doing."

"And what has he been doing?" Diana queried.

"Well," Chloe consulted her notes, "the society pages of the Daily Planet remarked upon his courtship of and marriage to Gertrude Vanderworth, a wealthy widow twice his age. Gossip Gertie in the Gotham Gazette mentioned that the rest of the Vanderworth family in Gotham were quite piqued when Lex Luthor inherited all of the late Mrs. Vanderworth's billions and the shipping lines as well when she passed. The business and financial pages of Chicago Tribune reported that a foundation Luthor controls recently purchased Cadmus Labs and several other genetic engineering, and medical research firms."

"That isn't all, is it?" Diana turned back, to face Chloe.

"No, I have a copy of a police blotter from Metropolis P.D. showing that Metropolis General Hospital reported stolen the sample of kryptonite removed from Superman's body on September 25th."

"So, what does it all mean?" The Princess asked as though she were a professor leading a student to a conclusion.

"If Lex Luthor is in possession of the kryptonite with the blood and tissue samples from Superman as well as those genetic engineering firms, it could mean that Luthor is trying to clone Superman." Chloe exclaimed, with equal parts triumph and concern in her expression.

"Perhaps, I should return Lois Lane's phone call and send you back to Perry White's newspaper." Diana spoke wistfully again.

"Oh, would you?" Chloe asked earnestly.

"Yes, perhaps, I will." Diana chuckled.


	4. Lex Luthor and the Bizarro Lab

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or locations, but some of the ideas are my own. I owe much to Donner, Singer, Hackman, Spacey, Siegal, Schuster, and Speakfire

It only took a flare gun to get Lex Luthor and Kitti Kowalski off the tiny deserted island where Luthor's helicopter had run out of fuel the day of the Metropolis earthquake. Or more accurately, it took four signal flares, a Coast Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard vessel with aviation fuel to get them back to Metropolis.

Back in Metropolis, it only took a press conference on the steps of Police Plaza for Lex Luthor to get himself free. Or more accurately, it took that, plus all the evidence being at the bottom of the ocean or up in orbit in space, to get Luthor and Kitti out of Police custody. Luthor denied knowing that the crystals would grow with such force as to cause an earthquake in Metropolis. With the seagoing yacht, _The Gertrude,_ at the bottom of the ocean and with Luthor's henchmen and their incriminating video documentation crushed under tons of crystal and lifted into space on New Krypton, the DA had no evidence to hold Luthor.

Thus Luthor was free to begin acquiring genetic engineering companies and medical research firms. And free to appropriate the piece of kryptonite and the blood and tissue samples removed from Superman at Metropolis General Hospital on the day he fell from orbit.

Luthor was amazed at the wide array of medical and genetic researchers who wanted to join his work. He was not amazed by the amount of money the Pentagon, Langley, MI-6, the KGB and Chinese Red Army wanted pour into his venture as well. Weaponizing Superman's DNA: invulnerable soldiers, spies with X-Ray Vision, etc. would be very valuable to the free world's militaries and of course to their adversaries as well. But all of this would just raise capital for the next land venture.

Eve Tessmacher had once observed that it's always about real estate and yes, indeed it is. If I can't do nuclear remodeling on the western coastlines of the USA or grow my own continent in the North Atlantic, then I'll just have to take the moon! Yes the Moon. Commercial Flights! Vacation Resorts! And of course a theme park where Neil Armstrong first set foot: Donald Trump, eat your heart out.

His first batch of Superman Clones was out of the growth and incubation sacs and into the memory implantation phase already, next would come the yellow sun power charging phase. The military and intelligence agencies were pressing for human trials on the superpower DNA grafts. For a mere three weeks on the project, things were moving with amazing swiftness.

And then, late one night, Lex's computers began to act strangely. Luthor had jusat finished reviewing the reports on his various biological research enterprises and Kitti was begging him to come to her room and talk. Suddenly, the antivirus programs on all of his terminals overloaded and the systems began to crash. Luthor cursed as he hit the control-alt-delete combination several times trying to reboot the systems. Nothing seemed to work. Then, just as suddenly as they went down, all the systems came back online and the antivirus and system diagnostics showed 100 across the board.

Lex breathed a sigh of relief and began to close the screen of his laptop when an email chimed. He looked at the sender and noted that the message had come from the central mainframe of the Very Large Array, that set of gigantic satellite dish antennas in the western deserts, the one that had received the supposedly Kryptonian message. Luthor was sure he clicked on the delete key for that message, but it opened anyway and produced a video player.

"Greetings, Lex Luthor." The white outline of a face spoke out of the black screen.

"I know you are ambitions. I can see from the news reports that you are working on several genetic engineering projects involving the son of Jor-El. These may gain you wealth and revenge upon the son of Jor-El but has it not always been about land for you?" The message paused and looked thoughtfully out of the screen at him as though waiting for a response.

Luthor turned in his chair, steepled his fingers and looked away into the middle distance. "Why should I talk to a computer screen?" He said to himself, under his breath.

"Why indeed? Do you not recognize me?"

The resolution sharpened and the image in the message came into better focus.

Luthor turned back to the screen.

"Professor Fine?" Luthor looked up again into the middle distance of memory and, still not actually addressing the image directly, he though out loud, "Whatever cockamamie scheme he's got going, I want no part of it. I loved having superpowers before, but being possessed by Zod was… well it wasn't a walk in the park."

"Yes, all that Milton Fine was is still a part of me. I am far more than that. I am the Brain InterActive Construct. My mission to bring Zod back into the world of the living appears to have failed but at least the two of us can have our revenge upon the son of Jor-El!"

"Here's to that!" Luthor said raising an imaginary cup in toast, still not actually addressing the image.

"Yes, in due time. I see that you already have some clones of Kal-El in the works. Those will prove useful, especially with the false documentary my newsman has put together about him. If one of the clones were to escape in the coming forty-eight hours…"

"What does this thing mean its own newsman? I gave Randal Dather much of his material, and even appeared in some of the interview and discussion segments!" Luthor thought out loud as though talking back to the TV-set. Then he turned to the screen of his laptop, "Wait a minute. Is this message trying to talk _with_ me?"

"Did you miss the word "Interactive" a moment ago?" The image of Fine asked.

Lex smiled, laugh lines appeared. He thought this was funny.

"I am talking to you, Luthor." The image turned toward Lex.

Lex pointed at himself and leaned toward the screen, his smile widening.

"Yes. You." The image appeared to look directly into Lex's eyes

"There's no one else there. So, I Must. Be Talking! To YOU!" Fine's image nearly shouted out of the screen at him.

"Alright then, you have my attention." Lex Luthor looked at the screen of his laptop, wheels clearly turning in his mind.

"Alright then," said the image of Professor Fine. "If one of your Kal-El clones were to escape, half-formed, into the City of Metropolis in the next few hours, would it not wreak havoc?!? Would it not stain Kal-El's reputation?"

Luthor considered for a moment. "It wouldn't work. Superman would come and fight it in public. It would be on TV. He would be confirmed as a hero."

"How could he fight it here in Metropolis, if he were on the other side of your planet?" The image of Fine looked smugly at Lex.

"You have a suitable distraction arranged?" Luthor asked, excitement crawling into his eyes.

"Indeed. A terrorist organization calling itself Mossad is taking care of that for us as we speak. Mossad are in the process of destroying the nuclear weapons research and development facilities of the Sovereignty in Persia."

"You mean you've got the Israeli national covert operations agency in your pocket? Luthor pressed forward, his excitement building.

"Certainly not." Fine looked as though such an act were beneath him.

"But still," Luthor leaned back in his chair and looked over at the image in his laptop, "you maneuvered the world's best covert operatives into exploding Iran's rogue nuclear weapons program?" He gestured pointing at the screen with an open palm giving credit to the program on the screen.

"These terrorists on your primitive planet act on their own volition, with the precise information to prompt their actions." The image of Fine spoke with apparent humility.

"Mossad are not terrorists; they are professionals, the best in fact." Luthor said wistfully, but also with great respect.

"And I believe the appropriate term is meltdown, nuclear meltdown." Fine's image finished its thought.

"That would keep the son of Jor-El busy" and maybe that new friend of his with the green power ring, too, Luthor thought but did not say. Having dealt with Fine before, Luthor wanted to keep an ace up his sleeve. He hoped that the thing's single minded obsession with Superman, an obsession which exceeded even his own, would prevent it from noticing others wielding superpowers. Or, at least that it wouldn't notice them until hit in the face with a boxing glove.  
"Whatever." The image looked intently at Luthor and spoke with finality, "Kal-El and terrorists do not concern us right now. Land concerns us now."

"Do tell." Luthor leaned back slightly and touched his finger tips against each other.

"I have searched the historical records and determined that since our earlier meetings regarding Zod, you have tried some land schemes?" The image of Fine appeared open and enquiring

"Yes, I first tried nuclear redevelopment on the coastlines of California and New Jersey. Then I used some of the crystals from Kal-El's arctic fortress to grow my own continent in the middle of the Atlantic…well actually 100 mi off the U.S. Eastern Seaboard."

"But Kal-El foiled your plans?" Fine's image encouraged Luthor to continue.

"He did. He got me sent to prison, too. But he failed to appear in Court as a witness for the prosecution during my appeal, some business about being off in space, searching for his fabled homeworld. The U. S. Attorneys had to release me."

"I can offer you something better." The image stated flatly.

"What could possibly be better than land?" Luthor leaned back openly chuckling

"World Domination!" Professor Fine's image exclaimed.

"Now you're talking!" Luthor declared with genuine excitement.

"The economies of the nations on this miserable mudball you call a planet are still powered by fossil fuels, by petroleum. I can teach you to tap into the energy of your planet's gravitational field. Provide them with limitless energy, and the world will bow at your feet." The image took on the aspect of a wise sage sharing a secret koan.

"How can this be done?" Luthor asked concealing his greed.

The image spoke matter-of-factly, as though it were saying something as mundane as, 'Look both ways before crossing the street.' "All it will require is a black hole smaller than an atom, positioned in the center of you planet."

Acknowledgements: The flare gun and press conference ideas came from Speakfire. I have just summarized them here. Her version is much more richly detailed and takes up two or three chapters. Please read it. The black hole smaller than an atom idea came from Wil McCarthy, who uses it to great advantage in the Queendom Series (The Collapsium, The Wellstone, Lost in Transmission and To Crush the Moon) featuring Bruno de Towaji, et al. If you like dry wit and intellectual space opera painted on a canvas spanning a corner of our Galaxy, read the Queendom Series. It also has some very engaging heroes, and quite vile villains.


	5. Nuclear Melt Down in Persia

Disclaimer - - Others own the sandbox and most of the toys, too. They're kind enough to let me play in it. Speakfire, in particular, is very gracious in loaning her OC Trish to me.

A/N - - Third revision, guys I know. I'm sorry. Call this the director's cut. I expanded the battle scenes and gave the new villain a few more paragraphs. Someone please tell me if proper procedure would be to put this up as chapt. 6 and just not have a chpat 5?

A/N -- This chapter is chock full of pay off scenes. For those of you who've hung in there with me since Confessions, I thank you. Some of you will remember asking me to write longer chapters, well here you go: Ten Pages. I have a last bit of exposition at the beginning this chapter and yes, I'm trying to sound like George Lucas, but this is how the story had to be told. We have some bigger and better battle scenes in here. Jason meets someone who has needed to meet him. And another foe is unveiled with a bit more detailed development. So, read on…

---

It was Friday afternoon, the day after Lois Lane finally received her Pulitzer Prize.

Lex Luthor was busy acquiring the means to build gravity wave lasers which would penetrate all the way to the center of the earth.

Lois Lane was staring daggers at Clark Kent across the bullpen and writing a retraction for her recent editorial, "Why the World Does Need Superman."

Jimmy Olson was developing Superman photos in the darkroom and running part time interference between Lois and Clark.

Clark Kent, Fastest Typist West of the Hudson River, had filed the Exclusive Complete Story on yesterday's Mysterious Splashdown off the California Coast and moved to Jimmy's terminal to chose the art. The story actually went in under a joint byline for Clark and Kyle Rayner, who worked at the Daily Planet's West Coast Bureau as photo journalist and commercial artist.

Trish Mason, intern, was just coming in from school. She noted that the dark room light was on and that Jimmy Olson was not at his desk. She further noted that absence of laughter coming from the darkroom and concluded that Jason White was not around this afternoon. Trish started to ask after Jason, but the news copy from the Kent / Rayner Bi-coastal Daily Planet Exclusive caught her eyes, and she closed her mouth while she read through it.

"Mr. Kent?" Trish called out to Clark who was finishing a look through the file shots Olson had pulled up of Coast Guard Cutters, F-15s and Kyle Rayner's USAF Reserves Official Photo.

Clark started to pull some screen shots from Headline News coverage to compare with Jimmy's simulated depiction of what the Unscheduled Joint Operations had actually looked like, "Er, yes, Trish."

"How come half of this article is left out?" Trish stood up, faced Clark, and pointed at the news copy sitting on his desk.

Clark straightened his glasses nervously, "What do you mean, left out?"

"Well for one thing, why doesn't it say what the piece of Apollo / Skylab era space debris was? For another thing, how come it doesn't explain why the Coast Guard sent so many ships out and the Air Force sent so many planes out?"

"I asked those questions, believe me." Clark replied trying to draw some lines connecting the tiny TV news photo to Jimmy's computer recreation, to make it look like a blow-up of the photo. "Major Rayner wanted to answer them, but the lawyers and security people on his end of the conference call wouldn't let him tell me very much."

"So, what was it -- G14 classified or something?" Trish sat back down giggling.

"I think the actual term is Above Top Secret, Special Compartmented Information." Clark said. He looked slightly down cast as he hit his limitations in arranging the photos. He just didn't have the eye for it that Jimmy Olson and the folks down in layout had.

"Tsha!" retorted Trish. "Whatever that means?"

"Exactly." Clark saved his work with notes for Jimmy and returned to his desk.

"Hey where's the munchkin and Mr. Richard?" Trish changed the subject as Jimmy Olson emerged from the dark room.

Jimmy held up his photos triumphantly and looked expectant, like he was about to make an announcement, but only for a moment. Then he remembered that Miss Lane had been acting really mean toward Clark all day, so the photographer scanned the room to see if it was safe to announce Superman art. Come to think about it, Miss Lane was actually just as mad at Superman as she was at Clark. He still hadn't figured that out either.

"My son's father took him flying. In his sea plane. Because that's the only way my son's actual father could take him flying."

"Who else but Richard would take Jason flying, and if not in the sea plane, how else would he take Jason flying - - with a jet pack?" Jimmy blurted out instead. And he looked surprised with himself for saying it. So loudly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Lane, was that my outside voice? What is it with us today?"

Under Lois's withering gaze, Jimmy reflected that if Miss Lane had had Superman's heat vision, he would look like a vampire on the beach at summer solstice celebration: burnt to a crisp. Lois closed her laptop, tucked it under her arm and got up to stomp out. One her way to the elevators, she muttered something about CC's Coffeehouse.

Jimmy brought the Superman art over to Clark and Trish. The three studied the photos and picked out the best two for Jimmy take to Perry White for confirmation. Perry White stepped out of his office as Jimmy started over that way and called out, "Lane! Kent! Olson. My Office. Now."

Trish looked up at Clark and waved good-bye.

"Mmmm…sorry, Chief," said Jimmy filing past Perry into his office, "Miss Lane just stomped out for a latte."

"Okay. Then, is the O'Sullivan girl back yet?"

"Her name is Chloe Sullivan, Mr. White. I went to school with her, you know." Clark said sheepishly. "And I don't think she's back yet."

The Chief glanced at his secretary, "Miss Benton, get Princess Diana at the Themyscarian Consulate on the phone for me. I want the Sullivan girl back by Monday." Turning back to Clark and Jimmy, Mr. White asked, "Well, then, whom can we send out with you two for the afternoon? I want a story for the Sunday Edition on the undersea recovery efforts to clean up the kryptonite left behind by Lex Luthor's crystal island."

"You should send your nephews, Chief." Jimmy replied sunny-ly. They're already flying out that way."

"I know that. They left before I got the idea. I tried calling them on the radio, but Richard never answers me when he's flying." Perry White surveyed the bullpen. It was suddenly quite, as though everyone else had just sneaked out early after filing their stories for Saturday. He looked over Clark's shoulder. "You there. Intern."

Trish beamed and pointed at herself.

Jimmy whispered to the Chief, "Her name's Patricia Mason."

"Patricia. Join these two gentlemen in my office, young lady. It's time you earned you stripes."

Trish scooped up her book bag and almost floated into the Chief's office.

Perry walked over to his desk and reached into a drawer. He pulled out a Press Pass, with Trish's name and photo on it. "I've been waiting for the right moment to give this to you, Miss Mason. I do believe it has arrived." The Editor-in-Chief pinned it onto her denim jacket like it was a medal. "Well, what are you people still standing around for? Get going."

Clark headed out the of Chief's office with Jimmy and Trish in tow. The reporter grabbed his fedora hat and long coat. The photographer grabbed his camera case. The intern grabbed her notepad with pen, and they trooped off to the elevators like the three musketeers.

---

Waiting for the elevators, Clark took the lead. "Okay, the recovery efforts are a joint venture of the US Navy and Atlantis," he said, looking at Jimmy and Trish. "You two head down to the Naval Station and see the public affairs officer down there." He pulled a business card out of his wallet and started to hand it to Jimmy, then Trish, then Jimmy, then…Jimmy took the card and said, "Aye-aye, Skipper."

"And where will you be, Mr. Clark?" asked Trish, who figured she'd have to cover for him while he flew off some where in his other suit.

"I'm going to stop by the Atlantean Consulate for a comment, and then I will meet up with you guys." Clark said to Jimmy and Trish as others crowded into the elevator and the doors closed.

---

"Thanks, AC. Count on me for the next one." Superman said, disconnecting his Superman blackberry from a conversation with Aquaman regarding the Atlantean joint operation with the U.S. Navy to clean up the remains of New Krypton from the seabed of the Atlantic Ocean. AC had brought in some colleagues from the Justice League as well, including Cyborg and the Martian Manhunter.

The Man of Steel flew up next to Richard White's sea plane. Matching velocities, the Man of Tomorrow appeared to be standing outside door of the airplane. He rapped his knuckles casually on the door. Superman's son Jason, already excited, looked up from his Daddy's navigation charts, and his smile somehow grew wider as he mouthed, "Look, Daddy, it's Superman!"

Richard motioned with an arm for Superman to come on in. Jason hitched a restraining belt to his flight harness and ran around to the side door. The lad popped the door open easily.

Superman stepped inside the airplane. Hand shakes, fist bumps and smiles were exchanged. Jason reached under his seat and pulled out his backpack. He took out his school work folder and showed his father his papers from the week. Superman smiled at the drawings, glanced through the math problems finding them all correct, but he was almost amazed at his son's way with words. Having news reporting in his blood by nature and nurture, the boy would naturally write well, but the folksy charm of the lad's prose was uncanny. "Can Father take me flying, Daddy, can he?"

Richard and Superman exchanged glances filed with irony and answered in stereo, "Of course."

Richard continued, "I'm quite sure that's why he came out here to meet us, but he and I need to talk about it first. The parents will discuss it and do what's best." The pilot took one hand off the control yoke and groped around on the floor of the airplane looking for Jason's back pack. Jason grabbed a strap and put it in his Daddy's hand while Superman picked up one of the helmets and put it on. He could hear Richard and Jason just fine, of course, but they would need the intercom to hear him. Or at least Richard would.

Richard fished around in the bag, pulled out Jason's iPod-XM and passed it to Superman along with some cables, "Kal would you mind plugging this into Jason's headphones?"

Taking the music player, the Man of Steel shook his head and whispered, "Son, I'm sure you will hear us, even over the music. Would you please give us privacy and concentrate on the music so that it overpowers our voices?" Jason nodded vigorously and Superman connected the cables.

Both men spoke at the same time, "I have a bad feeling about this weekend." This time Superman continued, "I think Lex Luthor is planning something for Metropolis, and I have the sense that something is going to blow up in the Middle East."

Richard turned his head and glanced back at the man from Krypton. Jason's daddy marveled that while he the boy's father might have been rivals for the love of the boy's mother, both had honorably laid that aside to seek out the lad's best interest. "Plus that smear story Ran Dather put together about you and Zod runs this weekend. It's going to be a rough one for all of us in Metropolis no matter what happens. We need to get Jason out of the city for a few days."

"I'm glad you agree." Superman spoke with measured calm and a steady smile, the Kryptonian and the human exchanged glances and signaled Jason that he could listen now. Turning to his son, The Man of Steel said, "I think you should meet your grandmother."

After a glance over the control panel, Richard replied with a quizzical look, "I thought all your relatives died when your home world exploded."

"I meant my earth mother." Superman said warmly with no trace of condescension in his voice.

Richard adjusted the controls descending slowly.

Jason said, "You mean Miss Martha, right, from the picture on your desk." His daddy looked slightly puzzled. "Mommy used to work for her, back in the day. She talks about her sometimes."

"Yes, son, I mean your Grandma Martha." Superman looked lovingly into his son's eyes. "You will see the holograms of your other grandparents another time."

"Have you got the Fortress back up and running?" Richard asked with excitement creeping into his eyes.

"Mostly. Katherine Kowalski returned enough of my crystals." The Man of Steel looked restless. He was on a timeline. He could only be so late getting back to Jimmy and Trish.

"So, that's what was in the mysterious DHL bag that came in a few days ago." Richard commented thoughtfully, mostly to himself. He switched back to the main point about Jason's safety. "You want to take Jason to Smallville?"

"Actually, I think my mother may have moved to Montana. We'll have to figure that out as we go."

Sensing that Superman needed to be on his way Richard addressed some practical concerns, "We keep a short supply of his allergy meds and vitamins in his school bag. He has a key to the house in the bag if you want to get him some of his clothes."

"I'm sure my Mom still has a few of my outfits from when I was Jason's age." The Man of Tomorrow replied as he unhooked his son's safety cables and his iPod. "Can we keep the helmet? I'm going to fly really fast and it will probably get too windy for Jason."

"Sure. Just bring it back with him." Richard locked the controls into level flight and took his son's hand. He looked into his son's eyes gauging whether or not the lad wanted a hug. Then the Daddy in him took over and he gave his son a bear hug anyway.

"Daa-aad!" Jason smiled and hugged him back. "We'll be fine." The lad and his Father said in stereo. They all cracked up and shared a last smile.

Superman opened the side door, scooped up Jason and flew away.

---

Along the way Superman slowed to automobile speeds and dropped altitude to 50 feet over an interstate so he could call his mother and find out where she was and give her warning to send Ben Hubbard away for milk or something. This would be a moment just for family. And though he was a fine man, Ben wasn't family. At least not yet.

As they crossed the Kansas state line, the Man of Tomorrow saw Ben Hubbard's truck pull away from the farmhouse. The Clark Kent blackberry rang. Jason's father adjusted his grip and answered the call. "Hello, Mom."

"So. Why the mystery?" Mrs. Kent asked as she put a kettle on the stove and adjusted the gas. "After all, I've known Chloe for years."

"Moth-er!" exclaimed Superman slowing to a hover ten counties away.

"I saw you and the Sullivan girl in the background of the Pulitzer coverage on the TV last night." The twinkle in Martha's eye was visible from 100 kilometers.

"It's not that, Mom. Besides I'm not over Lo-, look, count to three."

Martha dutifully counted while holding the phone. By the time she reached three, she heard a knock at the kitchen door. "I'm still not used to that after all these years." She put the phone down a walked over to open the door.

Jason looked up from behind Clark, surprised to see him standing there in a flannel shirt, jeans and work boots instead of his Superman Uniform or a suit and tie. He peaked around the side of Clark's leg, and burst into a smile. "Grandma!" the lad shouted, knowing that he belonged here, at this farmhouse in the middle of corn, wheat and sorghum fields, just as much as he did in his Mommy's Audi, or the bullpen of the Daily Planet or his Daddy's house.

"Well, look at you, young man. What's your name?" Martha beamed lovingly. With instant recognition and acceptance, she held her arms down and open, without stooping.

"My name is Jason, and I'm this many." He held up six fingers.

Martha took his hand, mussed the lad's hair and then pulled him close and put an arm around the lad's head. With her other arm she reached out for Clark, and brought him into a group embrace. "When I told you a few weeks ago that you weren't alone, I had no idea then."

"Neither did I, Mom. And now I can't imagine my life without him."

Martha stretched up to kiss her son on the cheek. Clark bent down and his mother whispered, "Now, I finally know why it took you so long to join the battle against General Zod and his henchfolk, a few years back." She smiled knowingly.

Clark blushed slightly. Then his face soured as he heard the voices of Randal Dather and the ex-President from Arkansas, over the TV in the living room introducing the Superman and Zod expose. The ex-President spoke glowingly of Zod, calling him a trustworthy man of the people who only wanted world peace and what a shame Superman couldn't seem to understand that. Clark said, "I thought that wasn't on till tomorrow."

"I'll switch it." Jason ran excitedly over to the living room and looked around for a remote control to change the channel. He had never seen an old TV set with antennas and two switches to tune the channels. The lad stared. "How… do I switch it?"

Martha made her way over and switched it to the CW station hoping to find Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny and the Roadrunner. Instead she found Headline News with a breaking story of a nuclear incident south of Tehran.

Clark stood up ramrod straight, but asked gently, "Will you two be alright?"

"Of course, we will." Martha took her grandson's hand. "It feels like old times." She said looking wistfully at Clark. "We'll think up something to tell Mr. Ben, won't we Jason?" she and her grandson looked at each other with excitement and mischief in their eyes.

Grandmother and grandson turned to Clark and said together, "Go do your Neo thing, Clark." The turned back to each other and giggled.

Clark stared for a moment. Then he smiled, "Oh, right, from the Matrix."

They all hugged again. Then Clark pulled out his cell phone and ran out to the barn.

The reporter started to speed dial Perry White, then he remembered what the Chief had said about calling Richard on the radio. He speed dialed Bruce instead.

"Clark, hi," Bruce Wayne's suave tones came through the phone. "I'm with board of the Wayne Foundation right now; can I call you back?"

"Turn on the news, Bruce. Let Ollie know that I've got this one and ask him to send Bart with a radiation suit. I need to talk to Richard White in his seaplane. Can you patch me through?" Clark said as he spun around a changed into his cape and boots.

"Sure. Talk to you then. Bye." Clicks came over the line, then static.

"Richard, this is Kal, over."

"Rodger, Kal, this is Richard. My call sign is Seaplane N93."

"Rodger, Seaplane N93. There's been a nuclear meltdown in Iran. I need you to assign Clark Kent and Kyle Rayner to cover it. Get word to Rayner at Edwards Air Force Base, and do it fast. I'll be there five minutes after this call. JW is safe with MK. Also, have your uncle get Chloe back from Diana TODAY and call Lucius Fox at Wayne Industries. Mr. Fox has talked with me as Clark but not as Superman. We need to have Anderson and Smith on the Arizona Computer Virus with Chloe as soon as possible. And reel Trish and Jimmy in from the Naval Station."

"Kal, this Sea Plane N93, wilco."

"Rodger, over and out." Superman rang off his blackberry.

The Last Son of Krypton looked up into the sky. "Heaven help me," he said. "It's starting." Then he shot skyward.

---

As Superman and Green Lantern crossed into Iranian airspace, Superman commented, "Very messy, this isn't like Mossad at all. At least, it's not like they were before I left."

"You can see them, can't you? On their way back toward the Mediterranean Sea." Green Lantern surveyed the countryside before him. He hadn't been to this part of the world since his last combat tour flying close air support in Afghanistan over a year ago.

"No, it looks like they're headed out through Turkey to the north." Superman replied casually as the sun crested the horizon. "Actually, now that I think about it, this is exactly what would happen if they'd used the wrong amount explosives."

"You think Mossad got their facts wrong?" Green Lantern couldn't believe his ears.

"No. Hit the deck." As the sun was rising, Superman was all business. "There's a caravan of militia approaching from behind those hills over there."

"Let me try to talk to them," Green Lantern spoke earnestly. He felt like he finally had a chance to prevent combat with dialog. "My Ring can translate for me."

"Come on, Lantern, keep your eyes on the prize. Let's do what we came here to do, and go home." Superman spoke too late; the other hero had already dived down. He was hovering over the approaching five ton trucks saying, "We're here in peace. We want to help with the meltdown," like he was in an episode Star Trek or something.

Angry shouts came up from the canvass covered truck beds. No one needed a universal translator for, "Allah ahu Akbar!" One of the trucks turned and stopped with its side facing the heroes. A militia fighter poked out the back. A puff of smoke, a streak of white…Probably a Chinese made ground to air missile from Syria.

Green Lantern just floated there, apparently too stunned to move. He couldn't believe they'd fired on him.

Superman floated up outside the weapon's effective range. He needed to see if the rookie could take care of himself.

The fighter pilot's combat training finally took over: Green Lantern climbed and accelerated straight toward the sun, using his Ring to create a chaff drop behind him. Also using his Ring he focused and intensified the sun's weak early morning rays into the path of the missile to blind any heat sensors. The missile exploded in the cloud of chaff. The blast instantly expanded covering GL in billowing smoke and flames. The concussion wave knocked him another hundred feet up in the air, a green glow faintly surrounding him. Superman recognized the force field from his father's training at the Fortress.

"Come on Lantern, shake it off. Let's go. We have work to do."

"Half a minute, please." GL did shake his head to clear the ringing in his ears. The Ring had protected him from physical injury and taken care of his headache, but left the ringing in its wielder's ears as a consequence. Lantern Rayner frowned in concentration.

Superman darted down toward the convoy to disarm the militia fighters. As he reached the first truck, green flashes lit up the backs of all the trucks like sparklers on New Year's Eve. The Man of Steel disarmed two of the fighters, destroying their weapons. Reaching the third, fourth, fifth, etc., he found all the weapons already slagged.

Leaping out the back of the last truck, Superman looked up at the rookie and gave him a nod. Then he zipped away heading directly toward the site of the nuclear meltdown.

Green Lantern strained to catch up.

"What did you do?" The more experienced hero questioned the rookie.

The rookie replied frankly, "After nearly getting blown up, I used the Ring to locate all the weapons and render them inert."

The Man of Steel nodded and both heroes turned to speed off toward the nuclear facility that was currently in process of destroying itself in a meltdown. They found themselves facing a fleet of heavily armed, Soviet made Mi-24 Hind helicopter gunships.

---

At the same time that the Last Son of Krypton and the newest Green Lantern were engaging the Iranian militia, back in Metropolis an eighteen wheeler truck had a break failure and sped out of control down a hill. Below the speeding truck, a young mother wearing headphones and a music player pushed her baby in a stroller across the street. Other walkers and drivers heard and saw the barreling, out-of-control truck and moved out of its way. The woman with the baby was focused only on her child and her music. She didn't notice the truck or the other people moving out of its way.

High above the city a red and blue streak that looked like Superman from a distance flew over the scene of the mother with stroller and the truck. Observing the mother and child in peril, the streak dropped down to street level and flew back by to scoop up the mother and child. The streak figured the application of its powers incorrectly. As it sped past, instead of slowing down a fraction before scooping them up and then gently accelerating away, the streak impacted the mother at full speed, liquefying her into a spatter of blood. The streak zoomed directly up into the sky. The stroller stayed in the middle of the street directly in the path of the on-coming tractor trailer.

The red and blue streak felt weak after flying around the city and saving the lady. It wondered where she was. It looked down at its hands and chest and saw the red gooey stuff. It felt the warmth of the sun. The sun made it feel stronger. If it could just fly up into the sunlight it would get its strength back. Higher. Higher. Above the white puffy things. Feel better now. Stronger. Hotter. Burning up. Must fly down.

It dove down for the clouds and literally burst into flames and burned from the inside out. Carbon dust fell into the clouds and blew away on the winds.

The driver attempted to swerve slightly around the stroller, but did not want to lose control and jackknife or worse yet roll the truck. Neither the stroller nor its precious cargo survived.

Several tourists captured the mishap on video cameras and cell phones. On of the city's natives called 9-1-1 and another called the Daily Planet's City Desk, where Lois Lane was just coming back in from dinner.

---

Back over the hills of rural Iran, a heavily accented voice boomed out of loudspeakers on several of the helicopters closest to Superman and Green Lantern, "Attention Americans! Leave Iranian airspace at once! Iran has signed the Freedom of Power Treaty. You cannot legally operate in the sovereign airspace or on the sovereign soil of the Iranian People. This is your final warning! You must leave now!!"

"Yo, Superman!" called Green Lantern. "My Ring is picking up dozens of radar target locks on us. How do you want to handle this?"

"Can you stop the weapons?" The Man of Tomorrow called back.

"Yeah, I think I can," replied the combat pilot who was beginning to think like a superhero.

"Willpower drives that ring, right? Don't just think you can. Know you can," The Last Son of Krypton advised.

"Point taken," Lantern Rayner responded. _Next he'll be telling me to always be mindful of my surroundings. _

Thirty-six air to air missiles launched at them and fifteen 20 mm cannons opened fire. Green Lantern closed his eyes and extended his left hand. His Ring glowed brightly. He held up one hand as if to say stop. Every bullet on the way slowed to a stop. Superman flew away from GL's position at the target of the formation of Hinds. As new bullets left their gun barrels, these also slowed to a halt.

The Man of Steel scanned the helicopter crews and saw that they were all wearing parachutes. He blurred into a blue and red streak tearing open the helicopters and tossing the crew members down, away from the whirring rotor blades. One by one they popped their parachutes and floated down to the ground slowly.

The missiles were still closing in on GL, faster now. With his other hand, Rayner pointed up into the sky. The missiles instantly leapt another 15,000 meters straight up in the air: safely above commercial airline traffic and safely below the orbits of satellites. He flattened out the hand making the stop signal moved it toward the ground. The bullets dropped. The fighter pilot turned super hero cupped the hand pointing toward the sky. A green sphere 400 m across appeared around the missiles. GL tightened his fist. The missiles exploded inside the sphere. The sphere held; no blast effects escaped it.

---

Meanwhile over in Gotham, prompted by Clark Kent's phone call, Bruce Wayne had sped through the rest of the agenda with the Board Members of the Wayne Foundation. Having dispensed some charity, Bruce postponed the decisions that could be delayed, decided upon what couldn't wait and delegated the rest to the Foundation's Executive Director, Dr. Leslie Tompkins. Then he excused himself to his office and put the news channels on the video wall. CNN and Fox News were leading the story of a nuclear meltdown in Iran. Bruce knew this was what Clark had wanted him to see. Wayne pulled his Batman phone out of his pocket to call Oliver Queen.

NBC Nightly News was hyping the coming expose on Superman and Zod with Randal Dather discussing the findings and the Former President Clint Jeffery Williamson from Arkansas praising General Zod as a trustworthy man of the people who just wanted world peace. Randal Dather talked about how Superman had tricked Zod, luring him and his helpers up to the Arctic Stronghold. In the Arctic the vile Superman had stolen the powers of his fellow Kryptonians, tortured them and well, let's just say that Superman was the only Kryptonian who left his Bastion in the Great White North under his own power.

_Oh God, _thought Bruce. _Clark, what have you done._


	6. Man of Steel Kills a human?

Disclaimer – I own nothing but a few of the ideas. Other great creators are generous enough to let me play in their sandbox.

A/N - hey, this one really is worth it. And maybe I do need a beta tester... Or maybe I just need to beta them better myself. This one has much more Superman in it. It doesn't feel like a Green Lantern story with Superman in the background anymore.

CH 6, The Director's Cut

Over Iran, Superman had lost patience with the Iranian attack helicopter battalion that had engaged him and Green Lantern. _The helicopters' commanding officer had invoked a new treaty that supposedly made illegal any activity by superpowered Americans in their country._ When the heroes stayed their course, heading for the site of the nuclear meltdown, the battalion had fired thirty-six radar guided air-to-air missiles, and twelve aircraft had opened up with 20 mm cannons.

_The Iranian Military's nuclear weapons facility was in meltdown. Every second that the rookie and I were delayed was more time for the nuclear material to accelerate, more people injured, more lives damaged, more lives lost. Why were these fanatics up here shooting at him? They should be providing an escort to the site so the rookie and I could fix things._

Instead the helicopter battalion was maneuvering its third company around to flank Superman and Green Lantern and attempt to pin them down in the crossfire. _If I raced ahead to the meltdown site, this attack helicopter battalion could follow us and continue to engage from standoff distance outside the lethal zone around the meltdown. The longer I stay here, the more lives…_

That did it. The Last Son of Krypton scanned the helicopters' flight crews and found them all wearing emergency parachutes. He raced from copter to copter ripping them open from the side and throwing the flight crews out of the holes. He would worry about the unpiloted aircraft in few moments when they started falling out of the sky.

---

Back in Metropolis, Lois Lane stepped out of the elevator carrying a doggie bag. She was in quite a funk today, but she wasn't going to completely take it out on her fiancé. She was still bringing back dinner for him and of course Jason. The fish tacos and black bean burritos at Moe's were two for one today. So, she had enough to go around. _Heck, Jimmy could have the leftovers._

As Lois walked into the bullpen, her fiancé Richard White - International Editor, who was putting the paper to bed that Friday evening, caught her by the arm, "Hey, hon. There's a Superman ruckus over at 125th Street and Shuster Avenue." She didn't notice the concerned look in his eyes. He knew something was wrong with this one.

"For crying out loud, Richard!" exclaimed a disgusted Lois Lane. "I am sick of Superman!! First your uncle sent me out to meet him; now you want me to cover him." She looked like she was either going to explode or pout. "Why can't you send Ron Thorpe?"

Richard looked soothingly into the eyes of the love of his life and said, "There's an angle on this one." He waited knowing she would need to respond.

Lois rose up to her full height and drew in a breath for shouting match.

"How could you possibly put me on a Superman story, today of all days? After last night and this morning? I'm the one who dropped my Pulitzer and threw up in the fountain last night, remember?" She shrieked in humiliation and anger.

Richard steered Lois into his office. "Just hear me out, will you, hon?" he paused and held her eyes.

She relented for a moment. "Okay, you've got thirty seconds."

"Apparently his aim was off and someone got hurt, possibly badly hurt," the editor replied. "I want my best reporter on this story. I want to get to the truth."

"Okay, I'm on it," the intrepid girl reporter left the International Editor's Office, grabbed her note pad and digital recorder from her desk and prepared to leave the Planet. Then she looked around and listened, frowning slightly in concentration. Lois walked back to Richard's glassed in office and poked her head in the door. "Where…is Jason?"

"He's with his grandmother." Richard replied, and then picked the phone up as though resuming a conversation.

"You flew out to your folks' place this afternoon, okay." Lois made her way back to the elevators to head over to the site of the story. Sensing that something might be out of place she turned back gesturing with pen to punctuate her thoughts. _They live on a lake. Why shouldn't he fly out to visit them? _Having satisfied herself, Lois pushed a elevator call button and waited to leave.

_---_

Meanwhile back on the farm, Ben Hubbard had returned with a surprise dinner: venison that he had roasted himself out at the hunting cabin, fresh spinach and kale to sauté in olive oil and sweet potatoes to microwave. He found, of course, a surprise of his own: Jason in the dining room, setting the table. Ben asked in hushed tones, "Martha, have you gone to taking in orphans again at our age?"

Jason walked around the table in the dining room, setting out plates and glasses. The lad looked aghast and dropped a plate. He most certainly was not an orphan: In fact he had not one or two, but three parents who were now very involved in his upbringing. But as he had agreed with his grandma, he held his tongue.

Martha replied with the truth or most of it anyway, "No, Ben this is Clark's boy."

"Clark? Has a son?" At first, Ben sounded as though he couldn't believe it. Then he sounded angry, "How could he leave on that trip around the world? What kind of a man walks out on a child?"

"The girl didn't tell him before he left," Martha spoke in a calming, soothing tone. "She didn't even know herself until well after he was gone."

"Oh, well regardless, he looks like a fine young man," Ben said resignedly. And then he added, with acceptance in his voice, "He must be, if he's your grandson, Martha."

---

At one of Lex Luthor's genetic research projects outside Metropolis, the clones were dreaming. They were rolling around, thrashing in their sleep. They dreamed of huge flying bugs, spitting fire and rocks at them. The clones dreamed of crawling dinosaurs with huge horns, coming at them after the flying bugs. Men with sticks and clubs climbed off of the dinosaurs. Sticks and clubs and horns shot fire and rocks at the clones as well.

---

A few minutes earlier in the airspace over Iran, Superman had watched to see how the rookie Green Lantern would handle the missiles and bullets from the attacking helicopters. The new hero had tested his Ring to see what it could do: Stopping hundreds of rounds of 20 mm armor piercing high explosive ammunition with a wave of his hand. Then with a gesture of his other hand, he had exploded all the missiles and completely contained the blast effects. Superman assessed that the rookie had done quite well considering a single stinger missile had just nearly blown him to Hades.

As soon as the first wave of missiles were dealt with, the new Green Lantern's fighter pilot training had taken over. Positioned in the center of the attacking helicopters, GL had instructed his Ring, "Tactical Display." A three dimensional targeting array had marked all the attacking aircraft and designated them in descending order of their assessed threat. His thoughts began to project through the Ring forming and targeting missiles of his own.

Then the Emerald Squire called for the ring to engage the aircraft. The Ring whispered about disabling the tail rotors and forcing the aircraft to land. Rayner directed his Ring, "No, destroy them."

The Ring's AI scolded him that destroying the helicopters would kill their crews, and that deliberate use of lethal force in any Green Lantern Corps action was a direct violation of Corps Rules of Engagement. The Ring could not comply and any attempted override would shut the Ring down completely while it rebooted.

While Rayner had delayed debating tactics with his Ring's AI, Superman had taken matters into his own hand by ripping open the M-24 Hinds and throwing out their crews.

A combat proven fighter pilot in the USAF Reserves himself, Green Lantern Kyle Rayner knew that the Russian made Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters had black boxes similar to those used in US and European airliners and military aircraft. Rayner instructed his Ring to interrogate each helicopter's black box and find out where their flights had started out. _It couldn't be far. These old Russian helos drank aviation fuel like thirsty yaks at a watering hole._

Before the first helicopter had started to falter, the Ring had reported to its wielder the name and location of the air base out of which the helos had operated. Rayner was familiar with the base from intelligence briefings before his own combat sorties over neighboring Iraq and Afghanistan. Rayner reached out through his ring, into the auto-pilots of each helo and set a return course back to the air base. He held all the aircraft aloft while Superman finished with the flight crews.

The combat flyer's instincts in GL wanted to destroy these weapons platforms now that the flight crews wouldn't be harmed. _I'll be back over here in another year or so shooting them down in my F-15._ But the field-grade officer in him knew that based on the Freedom of Power Treaty, he and Superman were already too close to provoking an International Incident. Rayner hoped that returning the helos, even with holes ripped in their sides, would help to prevent or minimize that Incident. _Besides wearing the uniform and wielding the Ring of the interstellar Green Lantern Corps, I should stay as far above the fray as I can. _

When Superman confirmed to GL that he'd chucked the last of the flyers out of the last aircraft, the rookie told his Ring to execute the flight plan in the all of the autopilots. The Mi-24 Hinds turned as a formation and flew off toward the airbase without their flight crews. It was a gesture that might be overlooked by the Iranian government, but Rayner would make sure it featured prominently in the Daily Planet's coverage.

Watching the helicopters fly away, Superman called "Good thinking with the aircraft, Rookie." Then the Last Son of Krypton turned and headed off once more toward the nuclear facility that was currently melting down and burning a hole in the planet's crust.

When the newest Green Lantern caught up to the Man of Steel, the Kryptonian spoke to him. "As you just saw, I can probably get all the people out of the danger area. I brought you along to take care of the meltdown itself. Can you handle it?"

The rookie replied, "When we get there, I can use my Ring to confine all the radiation and heat within a magnetic bottle."

"Good. You do that." Superman affirmed. Then his tone became stern, "Keep us both off their sensor grid so that neither of us gets get shot at again. We don't have time for any more firefights." A streak of red and blue showed were Superman sped ahead toward the disaster site.

"One more thing," the rookie called out to his senior, "When you have the people clear, I can force the whole facility down under the earth's crust into the mantle where the crust will shield the radiation while the molten magma dissolves everything else."

"I don't need to know the details of what you're planning to do. I need to know if you can handle it because if you can't - -"

"Yes, Superman, I've got it. I can handle this."

Kyle positioned himself high up over the site where he could keep the Man of Steel in line of sight while he darted around like pinball hauling people to safety. Green stealth fields shimmered around both GL and Superman. The Ring reported another fast mover below evacuating people and asked if that person should be stealth shielded as well. Kyle told the ring to do so and to add the same force field that protected himself. I doubt if anyone else around here is quite as invulnerable as Big Blue down there.

Next the Emerald Squire began to bend the Earth's magnetic field around the mass of out-of-control plutonium nuclear fuel that was burning a hole out of the bottom of the facility and into the earth's crust. He drew in electrical power from as far away as Russia and China to increase the field's strength. The field held. Radiation ceased escaping.

Next, Kyle thought back to those college physics classes the Air Force had made him take, to figure out how to stop the runaway nuclear reactions. While slowing the reactions and stealth shielding the heroes, GL began to use the Ring to force apart the earth's crust, opening a fissure down to the molten rock below in the mantle.

With the radiation confined, the area outside the facility was no longer lethal and an Iranian mechanized division began to move into the area. Tanks rolled in and foot soldiers dismounted from old Russian-made BMP fighting vehicles. Superman noted the tanks, BMPs and soldiers moving in. He scanned the nuclear facility with his x-ray vision to determine the number and location of the remaining survivors and casualties. The amount of lead radiation shielding in many parts of the weapons labs prevented the Kryptonian form gaining an accurate picture and he had to page GL for a count.

"I'm just a little brain-taxed up here at the moment," replied the sweating hero, whose concentration was maxed out. Kyle was containing the radiation, opening the fissure in the crust, and holding back the magma from the mantle that was trying to turn the whole place into a volcano. He was dealing with structures and masses of earth and molten magma that amazed even him. Now if he made a mistake, people would die and the countryside would be ruined.

Superman decided that he and Bart would need to search every room in the facility. If the heroes just moved fast enough, then the Iranian mechanized formation encircling them wouldn't be able to see them. If they couldn't see the heroes, they wouldn't engage them. The Last Son of Krypton hoped that GL's stealth fields would keep any radar systems jammed.

The Iranian field commander below picked that moment to roll his tanks and troops onto the grounds of the nuclear facility.

Kyle saw the formations move in and almost panicked, but he remembered the stealth shields and force fields. He knew that if he kept them strong enough, the heroes would remain undetected.

--

When Superman and Bart finished with the evacuation they stopped near one of the gates to shake hands. An Iranian tank commander saw their shadows and ordered his gunner to fire the tank's main gun at them. Superman heard the round chambered and warned Bart who blurred away to the northwest in a red and yellow streak of speed. Superman turned his head toward the sound and focused his heat vision to vaporize up the shell in the chamber before it could fire or explode. The heat beams also melted the barrel of the main gun and exploded the reactive armor of the Russian made T-80 main battle tank.

Recalling his Sun-Tzu, the Man of Steel simply floated up to Kyle and smiled his confidence as the other hero finished forcing the weapons labs down beneath the earth's crust into the molten mantle. Then Superman darted off to burrow into the crust and shove the fissure closed so that he and Green Lantern could fly out of there.

---

Back in Metropolis, the bloody smear of the young mother and crushed baby carriage lead the six o'clock news casts of all the local TV stations. Reporters ran with headlines ranging from Super-mistake to Super-murderer. Eye-witnesses told of seeing the familiar blue suit and red cape. Others said they saw his spit-curl. Everyone agreed that the figure in the cape and boots flew right through the young mother splattering her body across parked cars and the sides of buildings for thirty feet, to say nothing of the passers by themselves.

Live reports from the bloody scene of death got picked up by all the major broadcast networks and cable news channels. Programming on channel after channel was interrupted for Special Reports and News Flashes as the story of Super-splatter quickly became the headline worldwide.

Over protests from news anchor Brain Williams, who had himself been saved by Superman from certain death while reporting on one of the many conflicts in the Middle East years before, NBC news executives decided to run the Randal Dather special on Superman and the Death of Zod that Friday night. Brian Williams walked off the set of NBC Nightly News in the middle of a segment. Reporter Andrea Mitchell completed the broadcast from the White House.

Lois Lane's write up leaned much toward the super-murder point of view. Richard White clashed with her over it. "After all he has done for this city, much less our family, Lois, how can you write this?" Richard leaned forward in his chair and dropped the printed story on his desk in front of her.

"I'm just reporting what people saw, Richard." Lois said, her anger burning very cold just then. She felt vindicated and vindictive. Superman had stolen her memories, abandoned her with a child, and now he had killed an innocent woman. To say that Lois's anger was very intense was like calling Hurricane Katrina a very big storm. Superman had hurt her and now she could do the same to him. "You sound like you know something I don't."

"Yes," replied the Editor, "I know that he wasn't even in Metropolis when that poor woman died. I sent Clark to Iran to cover a nuclear meltdown."

"Did anyone see him over there, in Iran?" Lois raised a hand indicating a distant land half way around the world.

"What?" Richard looked like the rug had been pulled out from under him.

"I've got forty people who saw a flying man with red cape, red boots, S-shield, blue uniform, spit curl and a woman splattered across a city block." Lois picked up her story off Richard's desk and smacked her hand with it. "Forty people, Richard -- thirty-six with addresses, jobs, and families -- saw Superman kill a woman today," the reporter walked over to the editor's desk. She held her digital recorder out with the witnesses' quotes and personal info, putting it in his face. "Do you have a single witness on the record that saw him in Iran?"

"Not yet, but stopping a nuclear meltdown isn't exactly something that you can miss. I'm sure it's on the satellites. One of us can call in a favor from our fathers and get the National Reconnaissance Office in the Pentagon on the phone. I'm sure we can get a comment from them, maybe even a photograph."

"Comments, bah! Photographs, rubbish! I have eyewitnesses! This mess tonight proves what Randal Dather and former President Cling Jeffery Williamson are saying! I don't actually remember what happened up at the Fortress nearly seven years ago when Zod died. But, Richard, if Randal Dather and former President Clint Jeffery Williamson say that Superman tortured and murdered a populist leader who just wanted world peace, I agree with them. Now tell me where _my_ son is."

"_Our_ son is safe with his grandmother." Richard said very calmly

"So, he's with your parents at their lake place? Is that your statement to me?" Lois questioned Richard in very quite hiss, "Come clean with me Richard. Tell me the truth. I've got your mother on the hold right here." Lois held up her cell phone. "You have about five seconds to correct the record or your lie becomes the record."

"Jason is with Martha Kent." Richard stated simply


	7. Did Brainiac cause the Meltdown?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I just own some plot points. Great Creators own the sand box and generously let me play in it with their toys and some of my own.

With the meltdown problem solved, at least for the moment, Superman and Green Lantern flew out of Iran's airspace, heading west toward the Mediterranean Sea. The Man of Steel began to descend over Jordan. The rookie Green Lantern, Major Kyle Rayner, USAF Reserves, called out, "Where are you going?" _Holy grud, I feel drained. I need to get back to Edwards Air Force Base for flight crew rest before my squadron's final mission of the training exercise tomorrow._

"I'm going to Mossad Headquarters." The Man of Steel replied. "I want to find out why the best commandos on this planet botched a job they constantly train for. I'd like you to join me, at least long enough to introduce you Deputy Director David."

"Okay. I'll go." GL answered sounding drained. He took a breath before continuing. "I guess if my Ring can autopilot a formation of Iranian helicopters back to their airbase, then it can autopilot me back to mine."

"Don't guess," The Last Son of Krypton said in a mentoring tone. "Know. Or you may end up in Baja California or Tierra del Fuego by mistake." He joked.

--

Superman descended toward at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Morning prayers were over, but a couple of rabbis, a handful of their students and a family with their teenaged son and his young sister remained.

From high above, GL called out slightly annoyed, "Hey! This is a prayer shrine, not Mossad Headquarters."

"I know. Where ever I go, I try to take a few moments to honor the people in the region. I always take time to stop here when I'm in the Middle East." The Man of Steel replied as he floated over to his favorite vendor of Prayer Shawls and Kippot.

"Did you convert to Judaism or something? I figured you followed a Kryptonian religion." Green Lantern clearly just wanted to get home and rest.

Like a sage instructing a novice, Superman patiently replied, "When I'm in Europe, I light a candle in St. Peter's Basilica. When I'm in East Asia, I meditate in a Buddhist Monastery in Nepal, and so on. We can always spare a few moments to respect the traditions of the people we serve. If you can't improve your attitude, just stay up there."

"What about Mecca. Have you ever been there?" GL asked wondering if Superman had chosen to ignore over a billion of the world's people.

"I used to stop there, a long time ago," the Last Son of Krypton replied, his voice betraying a brief longing for a simpler time. "But I haven't been welcome there since well before I left."

Kyle Rayner hovered a hundred feet over the street while the Man of Steel floated down and bought a prayer shawl and a kippah. The rookie watched as the elder hero donned the newly purchased garments and bowed his head reverently over at the Wall. He tucked a piece of paper in between the stones. As he began to remove his prayer garments some Jewish children ran up excitedly. Superman looked over to their parents and grandparents who nodded their approval. Then he placed his hands on their shoulders and spoke some words quietly in Hebrew.

About that time some Palestinian children swarmed out of a side street and began throwing rocks and jeering Superman and cursing America. The first rock hit the Man of Steel as he fixed a stern gaze in their direction. The rest of the rocks disintegrated in mid flight. The hero called out to the young mob in Arabic, "Do not so dishonor this mount for it is sacred to your people," he gestured to the unruly children, "as well as these," indicating the family he had just spoken with.

The Palestinian children reached into their bags and pulled out more rocks. Superman looked up at the rookie, "Green Lantern, can you restrain these unruly children, while Chaim here calls these police?"

"Sure, Superman." The Emerald Squire descended a few meters and stood in the air between the Man of Steel, the Jewish family and the Palestinian children. He extended his hand and his ring glowed brightly. The mob continued to mill about but contracted into a perfect circle. They threw more rocks, which traveled less than a meter and hung in the air.

"Join me at Mossad HQ when you can." Superman called as he flew away.

"You go it." GL said.

The father of the boy Superman had blessed pulled out a cell phone and reported rock throwers. When the authorities arrived, Green Lantern floated up and darted away, his Ring now guiding him to Mossad HQ.

--

A few minutes later Green Lantern received an introduction from Superman to the senior leaders of Mossad. The Deputy Director, Brigadier Moshe David, kibitzed briefly about how the Man of Steel had cooperated with his daughter Zivah and her American colleagues on case in Northern Virginia earlier in the month.

GL thanked Mossad leaders for their time and excused himself to urgent duties in California.

"So, Director," Superman cut to the point, "what happened over in Iran."

"A rogue nation has a disaster at a poorly-designed, black-market, renegade nuclear facility, and you ask me what happened?" General David maintained plausible deniability. "It's a good thing for us you happened to be in the region or the fallout might now be blowing over my beloved Sea of Galilee."

"I was halfway around the world in Kansas." The Man of Steel replied sternly

"Oh. And what were you doing in Kansas?" asked the Mossad Leader.

Superman's mouth smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. "Did you use computers to compute the type or weight of explosives to use?"

The Mossad General smiled back, it didn't touch his eyes, either.

"Okay. Off the record," Superman tried again. "Do you use computers in your analysis of intelligence?"

"What modern intelligence and covert operations agency does not?"

"Have you had any unexplained glitches? Maybe all your systems crashed suddenly for no apparent reason and then came back up showing better than normal?" Superman watched the General's eye movements, listened to his heart rate and breathing. He even heard the sweat beading up on his hands.

"Look, Superman, you were gone for a long time. We don't know if we can trust you anymore. Your American journalist friends, Lois Lane or Clark Kent, them we would trust. At least we know where they were for the last five years."


	8. Picketors at the Daily Planet

**DIACLAIMER: Titans like Siegal and Schuster own the sandbox and share their toys. Trish Mason appears courtesy of Speakfire. Still no apologies to the UN or the Global Guardians.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: ****1. All politicians are fictionalized no matter how real they seem. ****2. I got ahead of myself with the first version of this. Kal-El's temporary uniform change doesn't happen until next chapter. The last scene is a preview.**

"Look, Superman, you were gone for a long time." The Deputy Director of Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence and covert operations agency, paused for a moment and then continued with a note of sadness in his appearance. "We don't know if we can trust you anymore. Your American journalist friends, Lois Lane or Clark Kent, them we would trust. At least we know where they were for the last five years."

Superman nodded and gave a two fingered salute as a gesture of respect. "Shalom, then, General David. Fair play to you." Superman started to turn to leave the office of Major General Moshe David. But something in the way the warrior drew in his breath triggered the newsman's instincts in the Man of Tomorrow.

"And, Superman, given the news out of Metropolis, even your identity is suspect. You should go. I will see Mr. Kent when he arrives. My people tell me he is booked on a flight into Tel Aviv early tomorrow."

As he soared back into the sky the Man of Steel wondered about General David's last remark. General David's daughter Zivah and American colleagues hadn't shown any doubt toward him last week. Something must have happened in Metropolis recently to change that.

The Last Son of Krypton launched himself into a moderate trajectory from Tel Aviv back to Metropolis over the pole and around the daylight side of the world, he needed time in the sun to get his powers back to max and purge the radiation from his system. He let his consciousness shift into the illusion of Clark that was asleep in the back of an El Al airliner. Maintaining a sleeping illusion of himself halfway around the world required amazingly less concentration than multiple copies fighting Zod and his acolytes in the fortress had six years ago. He let his real body coast thru the orbit back home and let his mind nap in the illusion aboard the airplane.

- - -

At Lex Luthor's cloning facility outside Metropolis, another of the Superman clones was growing particularly restless. They had all been dreaming nightmares of huge winged insects spitting fire at them and giant beetles throwing flaming stones at them and men with sticks that made them hurt. The one that grew most restless felt particularly angry at the men with the beetles and flying insects. _Men no should treat me like that. All me want do is help. Small men. Weak men. Me crush. Me burn. _

- - -

Ding.

The microwave oven's bell sounded in the bull pen of the Daily Planet. Jimmy Olsen reached down to grab the door. He pulled out his popcorn, opened the bag and turned to walk back toward Mr. Richard's office.

He started to call over and offer some to Trish, the intern. It was getting late. Normally, Lois or Richard or Clark would have made sure she got home by now. He supposed it would fall to him, Mr. Dependable. The elevator chimed. The doors opened. Olsen waited a beat before calling to Trish. One set of high-heels sounded a leisurely path across the tile. And a familiar smell wafted into the bull pen, a smell that had been absent for nearly as long as Mr. Kent. Jimmy saw Trish look up at the newcomer.

The teen intern's face lit up. The newcomer had been with Diana, Crown Princess of the Amazons, at the Pulitzer Ceremony the other night. Trish wasn't sure who she was, but the five and half foot redhead's luminous presence lit the room as the last rays of the sunset filtered through the skyline.

Jimmy listened carefully to the footsteps as they arced thru the bullpen. It sounded as though the walker were admiring the room in its quiet at the end of the day. When he believed the steps were close to him, he turned to offer his popcorn in as suave and sophisticated a way as one can offer popcorn.

Olsen's eyes suddenly went wide and his face went a bit slack. He knew the newcomer. In the bull pen, her scent and step were in context. The other night at the Pulitzer Ceremony he hadn't been able to place her. Of course he hadn't gotten close enough to pick out her sent or the sound of her steps. "Chloe!" the photographer fumbled with his bag of popcorn, almost dropping it. He succeeded in spilling only three kernels of it on the floor. Olsen did not, however, succeed in looking either suave or sophisticated.

"It's very nice to know that I can still make that kind of an impression on people, Jimmy," Chloe Sullivan, a.k.a. Cassiopeia of the Amazons, disarming smile lit up the room like a thousand watt search light. She took the bag of popcorn.

All Jimmy could say for a moment was, "Wow." Then he recovered his whit, "I guess that's better than pulling a gun on me like you did in the basement after Dark Thursday."

Chloe touched Jimmy on the shoulder. "James Olsen. You didn't call. You didn't write." She walked around him in half circle. "What's a girl to think?"

"Well, we all thought you'd been promoted to the Great News Room in the Sky, after your assignment to Ground Zero in New York City on the Day the Towers Fell." Olsen took the popcorn back when offered, "No one said so, of course. But we all figured you were writing the news for St. Peter and the Angels."

"I know. I was gone for quite a while." Longer for me than it was for you. "And it's not as if there's any phone or U.S. Mail service to Themyscaria."

"So." Jimmy smiled squeezing up his nerve to ask an Amazon out, an Amazon who technically was still his girlfriend, since they had not actually broken up when she went missing from New York.

"Don't even think it, Jimmy." The Amazon was all seriousness in an instant. "I can see that twinkle in your eye. You're thinking of asking me out."

"Well, yeah!" Anyone would be crazy not to!

Looking out toward the East River with a sweeping gesture that took in all of Metropolis, Gotham, and the tri-state Metro area the Amazon declared, "I've set my sights higher."

"Hey, I've moved up in the ranks since you were gone. I've climbed from copyboy, to photographer, to Photojournalist." Olsen pronounced the capital. "It says so on my business cards."

Trish, who couldn't restrain herself any longer, blurted out, "You've got business cards, Jimmy?" Then she stepped over toward where Jimmy was standing with the gorgeous redhead.

Jimmy turned sheepishly, "Well not as such. No. But that's what it would say on them, if I did have them." Olsen wiped the grin off his face and continued, facing back toward Chloe, "So, who do you have in mind - - the Prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne?"

"Oh, posh!" Chloe rejoindered. "He's taken; didn't you see how he and that Selena were at the Pulitzer Ceremony?"

"Absolutely!" Trish chimed in. Jimmy and Chloe both glared at the teen. Nevertheless, she continued boldly, "I heard Superman was single now..."

"You got it in one." Chloe socked the teen playfully in the arm. "You must be a reporter."

"No actually, I'm just an intern." Trish demurred

"Well, Olsen here and I both got our starts here that way." Chloe pirouetted joyfully as she spoke.

"Oh. Excuse my rudeness," Jimmy gestured toward Trish, "Trish the Intern, this is Cassiopeia of the Amazons"

"Chloe." The Amazon extended her hand to shake with the teen.

"Sullivan here was the original intrepid girl reporter long before Lois Lane even thought of holding the title," Jimmy added. "Now have some popcorn ladies, the fireworks in Office Number Two are about to spill out into the bullpen. Let the show begin."

"Kansas! You sent him to Kansas!" The glass door to Richard White's office burst open and Lois Lane emerged. Then she stood there holding it open and calling loudly back inside. "You sent my son halfway across the country to Kansas!! What right did you have to do that?" From the corner of her eye, Lois saw Jimmy and Trish standing there with someone behind them. "Olsen! Get the FBI on the phone I want to report a kidnapping!"

"Take a deep breath, Miss Lane." The photographer advised. "Let's not be too hasty here."

"And Lois," Richard emerged from his office, "let's not cloud the issue here, either. The issue here is that story you want to run accusing Superman of splattering a young mother across half a city block."

"Richard, it was on the six o'clock news, and if you'd care to check the monitors around the bull pen…"

"I asked Trish to turn them all off Miss Lane." Jimmy added. "With everyone gone, I didn't want to waste the electricity."

"I know you have forty witnesses, News 5 Metropolis and BBC World Service running with the story, Lois." Richard calmly stood there with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. "But I have him on a satellite over Iran at the same time."

"At the same second?" Lois shot back at him.

Richard started; then fell silent.

"No? Then let's think about this for a moment," Lois gestured inclusively. "Your contact in the National Reconnaissance Office in the Pentagon had Superman on a satellite that makes one photo every minute," she pointed to Richard with an open palm. "My forty witnesses report that they saw Superman over a span of approximately forty-five seconds," she gestured to herself. "That gives him seven seconds to get here and eight seconds to get back," the reporter made flying motions back and forth with her hands. "That's plenty of time for Superman. I'm running with the story, Richard."

"This is the Daily Planet, Lois. We get the story right." Richard stood his ground calmly with one hand in his pants pocket.

"That's right, Richard; it is." Lois turned to Jimmy and Trish, "And we do not get scooped. I'm calling the Press Room; they've been holding Page One. I'm running with the story."

"Not in the Daily Planet, you're not, Lois." Richard stated flatly.

"Yes, I most certainly well." Lois turned her nose up in the air. "Your uncle has insisted on putting me on the Superman beat. You even gave me this assignment. You've both made your beds. You can lie in them."

"The Metropolis Inquisitor can print that kind of story if they want to, but this newspaper will not."

Lois looked at his eyes, and the set of his mouth. "No. I guess you won't."

"We get the full story, Lois. Then we go to press with it. You know that. Didn't you learn anything from my uncle?"

"Get the story yourself, Richard." Lois turned and stomped off toward her cubical to pick up her purse. Chloe finally registered with her. "Sullivan. You can get me a room at the Amazon Consulate for the weekend; can't you? You knew for years and you never told me. A room is the least you can do for me, cousin."

"Whoa. Don't you 'cousin' me." Chloe stood to her full height. With the sunset streaming through the windows behind her, the Amazon seemed taller than her five feet six. "I'm not taking sides in your family dispute."

"Fine then, Diana has promised me a spa weekend at the Consulate for years. I'll call in that marker." Lois stomped out.

"So, Mr. Richard, what do you want to do about Page One?" Olsen asked.

"I've got a preliminary report from Kyle Rayner out of our West Coast Bureau about Green Lantern and Superman stopping a nuclear meltdown in Iran. Apparently the new hero gave him the scoop on the phone." Richard almost seemed to be thinking out loud. Then he turned and his gaze took in the whole group. "Jimmy and Chloe, can you take out the Superman references, get additional info from wire reports and have something on my desk in twenty minutes? I'm going to get our intern into a cab."

"That's okay, Mr. Richard." Trish smiled. "I can take the subway."

The editor asked the intern if she was sure. She nodded and he replied, "Let me walk you down anyway."

---

When Richard and Trish reached the lobby level they had to exit the elevator they were in, and walk outside and up one block to the subway entrance. In front of the Daily Planet Building a small crowd had gathered. Trish put it at less than three dozen. Most of them looked rather glum. They were all carrying hand painted signs. Some of the sings had been made from Superman posters or enlarged photos. The one element they all shared was red circle with a slash through it placed over Superman's Kryptonian crest. Superman protestors. In front of the Daily Planet Building.

"Must be a sign of the times," Trish commented. _Poor Clark; how will he handle this?_

---

Superman woke from his nap as his orbit passed through the flight levels over Metropolis. He carefully steered himself around airplanes. He thought that he would buzz the Daily Planet Building on the way to his apartment. As he approached the roof tops he picked out Lois Lane in cab riding toward the Themyscarian Consulate. His heart sank.

Next the Man of Steel listened for Jason's heartbeat and his mother's. They sounded fine out in the heartland. His heart rose a bit.

As he approached the Daily Planet Building, The Last Son of Krypton x-ray scanned the bullpen and saw Chloe and Jimmy busily revising Kyle Raynor's preliminary story on the nuclear meltdown in Iran. It was a good thing Kyle was such a talented pilot and artist. He'd never make a living as a reporter.

The last thing Superman noticed were the protesters picketing in front of the Daily Planet Building. He saw the signs. He the pictures of himself and the hand painted versions of his Kryptonian family crest with international "no-way" symbol over them. He wondered what could have happened to prompt this.

---

AND NOW A SCENE FROM OUR NEXT CHAPTER…

"Mr. President. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Batman said to the main screen in the Cave. It only showed the Presidential Seal. "I had guests."

The screen blanked for a moment and then showed the President of the United States seated in what appeared to be the Oval Office. "Heh, heh. Who knew the Batman had friends?" The Texan chuckled for a moment in his folksy way. Then his face sobered and he went straight to business. "Have you seen the news from Metropolis?"

"No, Mr. President." Batman replied frankly. "But it must be bad if you're calling me."

"It is. It appears that Kal-El has gone off the reservation," the President paused for a moment. "I want you to bring him in, Mr. Bat. Take the Princess back there with you. I'm sure she'll be a help."

"Why not call in the Global Guardians, Mr. President?" Batman enquired.

The President laughed openly for a moment and said to himself, "Wow. The Bat has friends and a sense of humor, too. Who would have thought?" The President looked back to the screen, "We'll have this contained one way or another before the Senate can call hearings or the U.N. can move their sorry butts to get the Global Guardians alerted."


	9. Candle Light Vigil

Disclaimer - - I still don't own the characters, just some interpretations and ideas. Trish appears courtesy of Speakfire.

A/N - - It finally hit me that the team introduced in the "Justice" episode of Smallville wasn't the Justice League, no matter what initials the show used (JL International). Cyborg, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Speedy are Titans. Yes, I know I have referred to the Justice League in just the last couple of chapters, but let the record be amended to show all those League references as Titans references…

_When Cassiopeia of the Amazons (a.k.a. Chloe Sullivan from Smallville, Kansas) walked back into the Daily Planet earlier, she walked in on top of the world, like she owned the place. She was an Amazon. _

_Living among the Amazons for so long, eating their food, drinking their water, she had gained many of their abilities: superior strength, speed, agility, endurance. She hadn't aged either. Chloe couldn't fly, but neither had she lost at bullets and bracelets. She didn't know if the abilities would wear off now that she was back in the world of men, but she would gladly fly an invisible jet back to the Island in the evenings after work and return that way in the morning. _

_If it took that to maintain powers, it would sure beat the old commute in to the Daily Planet from a small town way out in the sticks, the commute she had made the year after Dark Thursday when Metropolis University's Schools Liberal Arts and Journalism were both shut down for major structural repairs._

_Chloe had remembered her past, her life before washing up on the shores of Paradise Island in the wreckage of a cruise ship. She remembered Clark Kent and their first outing with the Titans as "Boy Scout" and "Watchtower." She remembered her first time in the Fortress and saying, "Clark, I know you run faster than speeding bullets. I'm freezing to death here. This time, take me with you." She remembered going to the Spring Formal Dance with Clark their Junior year of high school. She remembered meeting him eighth grade. _

_Yes, she remembered her cousin Lois and mutual gal-pal Lana Lang Luthor. And she remembered countless run-ins with the Luthors, the elder Luthor playing both good guy and bad guy on different occasions. She even remembered Pete Ross. And she had to admit that she remembered Jimmy Olson, ham-radio geek and wannabe photo journalist. _

_It was all coming back. More than anything else she remembered Clark, how great it had been to be his sidekick, to hear him say, "Chloe, you believed in me when no one else did. You mean more to me than you know." She remembered repeating that to herself the whole time he had swooned over Lana and Lois._

_Chloe remembered his concerns over intimacy with Lois and Lana because of his powers. She felt confident that as an Amazon she could handle it. She was back at the Planet; the little reunion with Jimmy hadn't been entirely expected. But it had gone well enough. Superman was single and soon she would be on top of the world._

_Then she had heard Lois and Richard arguing over a Superman story. Not the "I don't want to cover Superman anymore" argument she had expected given the events at the Pulitzer Ceremony last night and at breakfast this morning, but rather the argument was over whether or not Superman had gone off the reservation and murdered someone. A crack had appeared in the foundation of her world. _

Chloe realized the ringing sound was not the cracking of the foundation of her soul, but the ringing of a cell phone.

---

Jimmy Olsen's cell phone rang. He picked it up and looked at the caller-ID. His face took on a look of well here goes nothing and he opened it to take the call, "Hi, Trish, is everything okay?"

"No, Jimmy, this is Richard. I left my phone on my desk and no, everything is not okay. Jimmy, we're being picketed." the Daily Planet's International Editor spoke loudly, with great enthusiasm. "These people down here are carrying anti-Superman signs and holding some kind of candle light vigil. I need you to get down to the Mezzanine Deck and get me some art!"

"Okay, boss, you got it. Hold on a sec, I have a couple of questions." Jimmy switched it to speaker so that Chloe could hear, "What do you want to do with the story your uncle assigned to Trish, Clark and me?"

"Apologies, Jimmy." The Editor stopped and touched Trish on the shoulder, so she would wait for him, and he rubbed his forehead for a moment. Then he looked back up. "So much has happened this afternoon. What story was it again?"

Jimmy turned around and continued slowly walking backward toward the bank of elevators. "It was about the U.S. Navy/ Atlantis/ Titans recovery effort in the North Atlantic seabed where Superman lifted New Krypton."

Richard replied, "We'll have to put it together tonight. We'll send it out for Planet Sunday magazine. I'm sure it'll fit nicely in with whatever angle out member newspapers are taking on the whole Splattered Mother incident."

"Okay, I have both my notes and Trish's on my desk. I'll come back to help after I get your art. Speaking of the splattered mother incident…" Jimmy twisted around lightly and looked down over his shoulder to press the elevator call button. "I think those of us here in this room and on this call know better than anyone else that there is no way Superman could have done that. So, it begs the question, who could have done it?"

Richard still stood where he'd first stopped to answer Jimmy. He gestured with his right hand, slipping his left into his pants pocket, "Yeah, about that, when you finish with the protestors down stairs, get over 125th Street and Schuster. Get pix of that crime scene before the City cleans it all up.

"To your point about who actually did it, I was hoping the love of my life would look into that, but …I don't know whether or not she's at all interested in that. I'd love to put Chloe on it, but my uncle and I both called her in specifically to deal with the Arizona Computer Virus. So, we'll get Ron Thorpe on the phone. Ron can look into what actually killed that poor young mother.

"Just get me that art Jimmy. I'll have to call Gil and the rest of the crew back in to cover this mess: Superman-a-Killer -Ask-Zod-and-Splat-Girl. I'm sure my uncle will be in soon to give us all our marching orders." They ended the call.

While Jimmy took an elevator down and Richard dropped Trish at the subway station, the stairwell outside the bullpen flew open and a gust of wind blew through the reporters' work area.

Chloe turned to see Clark standing next to her where a split second before there been only empty air. The Amazon steeled herself, but pent up emotions that she had buried deep in her heart surged up from so long ago. She still bit her lower lip as she asked, "Did you do it?" with a tear in her eye.

"What, Chloe, did I do what?" Clark smiled with warmth in his face but a question in his eyes. He extended a hand toward the shoulder of the woman he had once told that she meant more to him than she would ever know. It didn't seem like that long ago for him. Chloe stiffened up and flinched back a few inches away from his hand.

"Did. You. Kill. That woman. At 125th Street and Schuster?" Chloe had to force the words out of her lips, they were so distasteful. Fear crept into her eyes.

"You mean all that blood all over the cars? I was wondering about that." Clark asked sincerely.

"No. You. Don't." Chloe took another step back and held up her titanium bracelets with palms open in a defensive posture. It sounded like he was doing with her what he used to do with Lana, back in High School and College. "Don't divert or deflect, with me Clark Kent. You look me in the eyes and tell me: Did you hurt, did you kill that woman?"

Clark stood erect and looked her straight in the eyes. "No, Chloe, I did not do that."

"Oh, Clark…"she sighed with relief. And Clark was next to her. She put her arms around him, leaned her head down on his chest and just breathed.

Clark put one arm around her shoulders and the other flailed around for a moment. Chloe reached out with one hand and took the flailing arm by the hand, setting his hand on her shoulder.

And for one moment all was right with the world.

"Wow. So that's what's been missing in my life," Chloe looked up into Clark's eyes and gave him a tender, sweet smile.

Clark's face softened. "What, me super-speeding up next to you like I did when we were in college?" he asked.

"Yes. No. All things you." Chloe took a step back to regard Clark for a moment, almost as though she were a tired runner and the sight of him was quenching her thirst. Chloe appeared briefly surprised. "I haven't seen you dressed like that in ages: flannel shirt, work boots, the old blue denim jacket. And the short hair…mmm." The Amazon held up her thumbs and forefingers in front of her like she was framing an image. You know Clark, she thought to herself, with cool pair of black Oakley sunglasses and a long black cloak…

"What?" Clark asked,

---

The elevator dinged and Chloe and Clark both froze and looked over at it.

Richard emerged. "Clark? Is that you? Weren't you wearing your usual suit and tie when you got on the 3:00 pm El Al flight to the Middle East to report on the nuclear melt down? Aren't you supposed to be on an airplane over the Atlantic Ocean or Europe right now?"

"Yeah, but when the Deputy Director of Mossad tells you to check out what's going on back in your own city, you slow down for a moment and check it out." Clark paused for a beat, "So, a dead woman and protestors, is that it am I missing something?"

Richard looked confused for a moment, truly confused and at a loss for words. Clark wasn't supposed to be here. And he shouldn't be talking about a conversation only Superman could have had with someone who doesn't know his secret. Unless…

"She knows," said Clark.

"I've known for years," said Chloe.

"Okay then." The Editor paused for a moment adjusting not only to the reporter everyone thought was dead back working in his newspaper, but also to said reporter having known the biggest scoop of the century without telling a soul. "How many others know?"

"Only a few know, Richard. Now what's going on in this city that has to do with me, er Superman? Is it just the dead girl and the protestors?"

"Well, not quite. First, there's also a scandal special on CNBC about how you brought Zod down at your Fortress. Disgraced former news anchor Randal Dather, Lex Luthor and former President Clint Jeffery Williamson of Arkansas accused you of luring Zod and the other two up to your Fortress with trickery and deceit. Lex said you took away their powers and then murdered them in cold blood. The ex-President wagged his finger at the camera and denied ever calling on you for help in dealing with Zod.

"But mostly it's that whoever killed the girl at 125the Street and Schuster looked very much like you. Lois has witnesses: thirty-four credible witnesses, three homeless vagrants, two tourists with video cameras." Richard paused to let that sink in.

"And a partridge in a pear tree?" Chloe chuckled quietly and looked up at Clark.

"No, Chloe." Richard spoke with seriousness that befit the moment. "One lucky kid with a Cingular camera-phone, got a picture of your unmistakable black spit curl, crimson cape and blue uniform."

"No wonder that crowd was down there protesting."


	10. Interview with a General

Disclaimer -- All DC Comics Heroes are the property of DC Comics. Characters referred to in other media properties are theirs as well...I only own some the ideas here.

A/N -- when real world news hits close to my story, I attempt to incorperate it. But you guys already know that and expect nothing less from me, right?

Clark cleared customs at Tel Aviv International Airport without incident. Almost. The customs agents had searched his valise and found the compartment where he had thought about stowing his extra uniform. He felt relieved that he had decided to go with just the one he was wearing under his coat and tie. Of course now, he'd have to wash it and that presented problems all its own.

Rolling his valise along behind him, Clark shifted his laptop case around to the small of his back carrying it like a satchel. This would further wrinkle his blazer, but it was just too awkward to have the computer slung under his shoulder like a giant purse. He noticed how some of the seasoned professionals carried their computer bags supported by the extended handles of their wheeled-valises. Concluding that this was indeed the way best way to do it, he rearranged his bags once again and managed to bump into only two fellow travelers. The reporter offered apologies in three languages, but the others just scoffed at the rookie traveler and each went his own way.

The Daily Planet's travel agent had an efficiency room with a kitchenette reserved for Clark at a Marriot business travelers' hotel. He would have preferred to check in there later. Local time was early Sunday morning and the hotel would hold his room until evening. But he knew it would be unprofessional to bring his suitcase with all his clothes into the HQ of Mossad. This would actually be just the sort of thing he would have done as awkward, clumsy Clark before his alleged trip around the world. It occurred to him, that if he had really made that trip, he would have gained much more travel savvy than he had displayed a few moments ago. The reporter decided to check in first and moved off to hail a cab.

Seeing the security-screening his blackberrys, notepad and blazer were subjected to at Mossad HQ, Clark felt relieved that he had decided check-in, shower, change and most of all -- drop off his baggage. The agent examining the blackberrys remarked on the encryption used in his Other blackberry, the one not provided by the Daily Planet. He made an excuse about a journalist having to protect his sources, especially when they were high ranking officials like Deputy Director David. Of course the real reason was that all his Superman info was in there: private numbers for NASA, Batman, and the Black Canary, the secrets of Faster Than Light space-travel, stuff that couldn't be compromised. He put the PDAs back in his coat pocket and wished for the old days of paper note pad and pen.

Clark showed his press credentials and passport to yet another agent and finally made it in past the entryway into the lobby of the Mossad HQ in Tel Aviv. A seasoned-looking agent stood on the mezzanine deck a few feet away from the stairs, casually tapping the screen of his PDA. Agents in blazers and military personnel in desert camouflage rushed about carrying double locked briefcases handcuffed to their wrists. Granting that Sunday was the first day of the Israeli workweek, this place still seemed busier than he'd expected.

The grizzled agent from the mezzanine deck casually glanced up from his PDA and slowly made his way down the stairs and over to the Daily Planet reporter who was displaying both a Mossad HQ Visitors' badge and his Press Pass on his blazer lapel. Clark rolled back on his heels and almost started to whistle while waiting on the casual agent. "If that lapel gets any heavier, it'll pull you over. You must be Mr. Kent."

"Yup. That's me." Clark said in his aw-shucks Midwestern way; then mentally kicked himself: He really needed to rethink this awkward, geeky persona. Five years as a world traveler would have worn the edges off of most of that. The reporter extended a hand to shake with the agent. The Israeli clasped both of his behind his back and came to a stop just outside the American's arm's reach.

"Shall we?" he gestured toward an express elevator. "General David asked me to see that you got to him directly after entryway screening. His schedule has filled up dramatically in the last twenty-odd hours you spent traveling, but he did still want to squeeze in a quarter-hour or so with you."

"After you, then." Clark spoke crisply.

As many floors as the elevator went down, Clark half-expected to be blindfolded before he stepped out the front of the elevator. But the back of the elevator, which had appeared to be a wall moments ago, was what actually opened. Clark began to turn, but the agent shouldered him.

"Oooof! You're far denser than you look, Mr. Kent. What do you benchpress? About 160?"

"Kilos? Yes, about that." To warm up with, Clark thought but did not add.

"Just step backwards out of the elevator and keep your eyes front," the agent spoke in cautionary and official tone. "Once you clear the elevator, if you look to either side, your retinas will be lasered and the Israeli government will not pay to fix your eyes. Do you understand?"

"I was expecting to meet the General upstairs on the second deck in his public office. Not down here in spookland. What's going on?" Clark backed out of the elevator.

"I can't say." The agent stayed in the elevator and the wall closed back up and became a wall again.

The reported continued backing up and decided to close his eyes. He concentrated on his superhearing though and detected about three dozen white noise generators up and down the corridor. He continued backing up and heard the air pressure change around him and felt another wall whoosh up in front of him.

Then General David spoke. "You may turn around now and open your eyes, Mr Kent. You may have heard the term 'cone of silence'? Well, we're standing inside of one. Don't step too close to walls. The energy fields may singe your coat buttons off. Our scientists are still working on that."

"Thank you for your time, General. I'd like to start with- -"

"Yes, about that, I shall have to cut this meeting short." Despite his curtness, the General seemed almost apologetic. "We will shortly perform a High Definition Video Teleconference with the British Ministry of Defense. The SAS have asked us for an intelligence work up on Iran."

"Special Air Service? A rescue mission?" Clark asked incredulously? Had he and Rayner left someone behind in Iran?

"Sky News Channel reported that Iranian Seagoing Militias seized over a dozen British Royal Marines and Sailors on erev Shabbat, that's Friday night for westerners. Publicly, British Prime Minister Blair is negotiating." Clark whipped out his Daily Planet PDA and prepared to take notes with his stylus and touch screen. The General waved him off. "No notes, Mr. Kent. And do you remember that cup of water you drank while waiting in the vestibule?" The Mossad Leader paused for effect while Clark nodded, "It was laced with dozens of nanites which will all spontaneously combust if the ones in your head sense that you are in any way attempting to communicate anything about what you hear today that is not already in the press. They will pass harmlessly out of your system in no more than three days."

"Mossad has microscopic robots that can read my mind?" Kent was truly dumbfounded.

"Maybe we don't," General David smiled, "but are you prepared to take that chance, Mr. Kent?"

Clark took a breath and changed the subject, "Okay, that briefing with the British that I don't know about, will it be transmitted through the internet or by satellite?"

"You know I can't answer that," the Israeli answered.

"Okay." Clark thought for another moment and then tried another tack, "One of the stories I was working when I was yanked to cover the nuclear meltdown in Iran was about a computer virus detected in the main servers of the Very Large Array, a group of radio telescopes in the western deserts of the United States."

"I know what the VLA is, Mr. Kent; what's your point?" General David attempted to cut to the chase.

"The Astronomers at VLA said the virus escaped outside of their firewall. It appears to be infecting military and space agency related computers. I believe it may have been responsible for the error in the explosives calculations which led to your agents causing the meltdown at the Iranian nuclear weapons lab."

"Yes, about that meltdown," the General pulled a manila folder out of an inner pocket of his uniform jacket. He smoothed his tie and passed the folder to the reporter, "Here is an unclassified summary of what we can say about that melt down."

Kent, flipped through the pages dropping one. He stooped to pick it up, but a stray air current blew it close to the wall. The sheet of paper flared up into a flame and then vanished in a wisp of smoke and a dusting of ash. "General most of this blacked out. Fortunately that was one of the pages with only one legible line."

"I said it was declassified." the Mossad leader stated flatly. "I meant that. What else do you know about the VLA virus?"

Clark replied openly, "Only that Wayne Industries, which owns the Daily Planet, has brought in some serious hacker talent take on the virus in case it moves to commercial and private computer systems." He did not say out loud that he also believed the virus to be the work of the Brain InterActive Construct.

"That would explain why Thomas Andersson and Smith flew into Metropolis on Friday afternoon." The General remarked off the cuff.

"Do you people here watch everything in the world?" Clark asked once more aghast.

"The State of Israel does not have the luxury of Ostrich-itis that you have in the States. Our enemies are separated from us by chain-link fences, if we're lucky. Not by oceans."

"About this thing happening soon, that I don't know about. Would you like me to try to get in touch with Superman?" Clark asked. "I'm sure he would--"

General David cut him off, "Mr. Kent, given what is currently going on in Upstate New York with the American 10th Infantry Division and what just took place in Metropolis with several police officers burned severely with optical heat blasts, we have put the word out through the Amazons and the Atlanteans that the Kryptonian's assistance is not wanted. Prime Minister Blair of England put in a call to the Batcave to enlist the aid of the Bat in keeping him at bay, but apparently your American President was already on the line. Our Commander of Air Forces is trying to reach the rookie hero Green Lamp in place of the Bat--"

"You mean the one first sited at Edwards Air Force Base, General?" Clark asked.

"Nu, of course." The General answered.

"He's calling himself Green Lantern."

"Whatever, we believe he may be able to keep Supe—the Krptonian away using his power ring."

Clark's attention was no longer focused on the meeting. He wondered what could be going on again while he was out of the country. Kent was not surprised moments later to find himself back in the lobby not completely sure how he got there.

Back in his hotel room, Clark closed all the window shades. Then he changed out of his coat and tie. He used his heat vision to char the top layer of his crimson boots. He walked into the bathroom and used his shaving mirror, the regular mirror and his heat vision to give himself a quick hair cut. He took off more than he had in years. It was now very short all over. He used some gel on the top and left the sides and back looking neat and trim. He pulled on some plain black trousers and a black turtleneck over his crimson, yellow and blue uniform. As an after thought he added a pair of black Oakley sunglasses and a black trench coat. He pocketed his keys and his cell phones.

Outside his hotel in an alley way, Clark checked his sunglasses. He kenlt briefly on one knee, then touched the ground with a fist and leapt into the sky. He flew northwest across the Mediterranean Sea and over the Alps. He was headed for upstate New York to face off with the Bizarre imposter with his powers.


	11. Hero Again, Part One

A hero Again, Part One

Disclaimer-- I stand on the shoulders of Giants.

A/N – hey guys, I got a head of myself again. General David was wrong about the 10th Infantry Division. There's nothing noteworthy going on with them yet. They're just out on routine training exercises in their training area in upstate New York.

Previously on "Betrayal of Trust"

_Clark's attention was no longer focused on his interview with General David, Deputy Director of Mossad. He wondered what could be going on again while he was out of the country. Kent was not surprised moments later to find himself back in the lobby not completely sure how he got there._

_Back in his hotel room, Clark closed all the window shades. Then he changed out of his coat and tie. He used his heat vision to char the top layer of his crimson boots. He walked into the bathroom and used his shaving mirror, the regular mirror and his heat vision to give himself a quick hair cut. He took off more than he had in years. It was now very short all over. He used some gel on the top and left the sides and back looking neat and trim. He pulled on some plain black trousers and a black turtleneck over his crimson, yellow and blue uniform. As an after thought he added a pair of black Oakley sunglasses and a black trench coat. He pocketed his keys and his cell phones._

_Outside his hotel in an alley way, Clark checked his sunglasses. He kenlt briefly on one knee, then touched the ground with a fist and leapt into the sky. He flew northwest across the Mediterranean Sea and over the Alps. He was headed back to Metropolis to face off with the Bizarre imposter with his powers._

TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER

Clark Kent stood outside the public entrance to Mossad Headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. He tucked General David's heavily censored briefing notes carefully into an inside pocket in his blazer and then loosened his tie. The reporter flagged down a cab and climbed in. Kent took his Daily Planet PDA from another inner pocket in his blazer. The device took a few moments to find the internet.

Some emails popped up with frantic subject lines, like "Additional Assignment: also find out about the British Marines" and "Attack on Metropolis Police." The reporter scanned the one about the Marines. He would look into it as Clark. Apparently Superman's help wasn't wanted. He quickly scanned others from Chloe and Jason. Then he opened the "Attack on Police" message. It contained a link to a video clip on the News 5 Metropolis website.

The clip downloaded and played. A reporter stared with a look of shock into a camera and spoke in stunned tones about the four Metropolis PD uniformed officers severely burned in a shoot out with Superman. Apparently heat vision had been used. The report switched to video from a traffic camera. It showed a view from above and to one side. A blue suited figure floated in the air above the four officers taking cover behind their three cruisers. A red cape billowed behind the figure. The figure's face was not visible as he was looking away from the camera. The reporter noted the yellow S shield on the cape and remarked that this was a very outdated version of Superman's uniform but that authorities had dismissed its importance. The clip closed out saying that Metropolis PD Super Crimes Unit had arrived on scene with the paramedics to evacuate the officers. The reporter would update the progress of SCU on its engagement with Superman as events warranted.

While he rode back to the hotel, Clark thought about what he had seen walking the streets of Metropolis, Kansas City and Denver for nearly an hour before getting some rest and then joining his El Al flight in time for approach and landing this morning. He thought of how apprehensive, even fearful citizens felt about Superman. They seemed focused on his uniform and the misuse of his powers.

_How many times do I have to change the course of mighty rivers, to spare flood victims on every continent? How many orphans do I have to pull out of collapsing buildings in places like Indonesia? How many sailors and passengers do I have to rescue from capsizing ferries off the coasts of Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and Wilmington, North Carolina? How many fire brigades do I have to help in Europe? How short are these people's memories?_

_Oh, yeah, what am I saying? It's been a couple months that I've been back, but _

_for them I was gone five years. My trip to Krypton in the crystal star ship may have seemed like five months to me inside it, but here on Earth, five years passed while I was gone; no thanks to Professor Einstein or the lightspeed limits of the physical universe. To all of these people here on Earth, most of that stuff I did was a long time ago and I haven't been back long enough to really regain their trust. Especially with former news anchors like Randal Dather, who left his former network with his tail between his legs, trying to make a comeback with fabrications, distortions and exaggerations about my battle with Zod days before I left Earth. No wonder they're fearful. I've become the unknown. Or worse. So, if I'm to continue operating, it will have to be in another guise… _

_I remember Bruce saying that he dressed as Zorro for Halloween in Gotham and for Carnivale in Rio. _

Clark wondered about what else he could wear…then an email came in from Chloe.

---

Meanwhile at stately Wayne Manor, Selena Kyle, and Lucius Fox sat in the parlour along with Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon. Bruce Wayne stood behind the bar pouring a disastrous attempt at Margaritas down the sink.

Dick and Barbara chuckled raising their cappuccinos and toasting Alfred, "who has never made a bad one yet."

"Well, Mr. Wayne, it looks like martinis again." Fox spoke in very dry tone. He had one leg crossed over the other. One could not be sure whether he was making a joke or not.

"Indeed it does, Mr. Fox." Bruce shook the last of the Margarita mix out of the blender and washed it down the drain with warm water.

Selena giggled.

"Would you care to assist me, Mr. Fox?" Bruce smiled and held up a bottle of vodka in one hand and a martini shaker in the other.

"No, that's quite alright, Mr. Wayne." Fox held up one hand palm facing Bruce and smiled gently. "You go right ahead. I think I will wait for Alfred."

"Speak of an angel and he appears." Selena smiled warmly now. She stood to welcome Alfred.

Alfred smiled, nodded and gave a slight bow, ever the perfect gentleman. Then he made his way directly toward Bruce. "Master Wayne," the butler said in tone clearly designed for all to hear, "the President of the United States is on the phone for you."

"Thank you, Alfred." Wayne set down the martini ingredients. "I will take it in the drawing room."

"Sir, he's on the phone downstairs." Alfred said somewhat quieter.

"Alfred, the parlour is on the ground floor…" Bruce looked quizzically at his butler.

"Downstairs in the Southeast Wing, sir?" Alfred replied approaching the bar and picking up the martini implements.

"Miss Kyle, Mr. Fox. I'm so sorry. Please excuse me. I can't keep the President waiting." Bruce turned to go.

Five minutes later Batman stood before the main monitor in the Cave, decked out in full uniform. From the waist up. Bruce still wore his tan slacks and loafers. The Computer kept the camera focused above the belt.

"Mr. President. I'm sorry to keep you waiting." Batman said to the screen which only showed the Presidential Seal. "I had guests."

The screen blanked for a moment and then showed the President of the United States seated in what appeared to be the Oval Office. "Heh, heh. Who knew the Batman had friends? …besides the Amazon Princess of course. She must be off trying to negotiate for the release of the British sailors." The Texan chuckled for a moment in his folksy way, giving Batman a moment to reply. Then his face sobered and he went straight to business. "Have you seen the news from Metropolis?"

"No, Mr. President." Batman replied frankly. "But it must be bad if you're calling me."

"It is. It appears that Kal-El has gone off the reservation, one poor young lady is dead and several MPD officers are suffering from serious burns" the President paused for a moment. "I want you to bring him in, Mr. Bat."

"All due respect Mr. President, why not call in the Global Guardians?" Batman enquired.

The President laughed openly for a moment. "Wow. The Bat has friends and a sense of humor, too. Who would have thought? We'll have this contained one way or another before the U.N. can move their sorry butts to get them alerted."

"The Titans perhaps?" Batman continued.

"The Minor League farm club? They'll be your back up. General Casey is on the line with them from the Situation Room." The President stood indicating the conversation was drawing to a close. "The Archer, and his merry troupe are fine men and women all. But you're the best, Mr. Bat.

"Thank you, Mr. President." Batman still looked stone faced into the camera.

"Why haven't you and the Princess formed a more high-powered team of your own?" the President asked as though he were just making conversation.

"Except for crime fighters I have personally trained, I'm not much of a team player," Batman replied in his gravelly voice

"Well the Princess sure is." The President commented. "My wife and daughters are big fans of hers."

"I will look into this, Mr. President, and do what ever is necessary to make it right." Batman stated firmly.

"Just try not to blow up the Metropolis L-Trains. Godspeed." The President reached out and the screen cut back to the Presidential Seal.

---

Chloe's email said that she and Thomas Andersson and Smith were taking a break from preparing to fight the Arizona Computer Virus. The Amazon, who was recovering the hacker skills from her former life, said that she was certain it was Brainiac, but she didn't yet know what it was after. The virus seemed to be copying information and sending it some central data storage. She included some humorous babble about how Thomas Andersson and Smith carried on with each other.

Clark also remembered seeing them in the lobby of the Daily Planet several hours earlier. The two had stood together waiting for the elevator. Andersson wore grey khakis and a dark brown jacket and a pale button-down shirt with a tie. Smith with his brown hair, high forehead, wearing a plain black suit and black tie with a white shirt and sunglasses indoors, stood there droning on about inevitability. "Miiister Andersson. Do you hear the sound of the elevator? It is the sound of inevitability. It was inevitable after Wayne hired you that we would work together. When the virus attacked it became inevitable that we would work here. At this time. In this building. I have dreamed about this, Mr. Anderson."

"Really, Smith?" Andersson stood there slouching lightly, a bit pudgy in the middle and interrupted the stiff and ramrod straight Smith. "You dream?" He paused. Smith attempted to continue his narrative, "Yes, Mr Andersson, I do dream. I--"

Andersson took a breath and continued, cutting him off again, "It figures you would dream about work. I dream about kung-fu and my band and my girlfriend, the one that died."

They had carried on like that all the way up the elevator. Clark had listened to them as he walked the streets of Metropolis. They didn't stop until they stepped out into the bull pen and saw Chloe. Then they were both speechless. She really had become a knockout while Clark had been gone. They had recovered after a few moments. Andersson had spoken first. "Hi. We're the programmers Mr. Wayne sent. I'm Thomas Andersson and this Smith."

Clark could still hear the smile beaming in Chloe's voice, "Computer programmer Thomas Andersson and a gent named Smith, I'm certain there's an ironic joke in there somewhere. Are either of you guys into kung-fu?"

Andersson raised a hand slightly and Smith answered, "He is," pointing at Andersson.

Clark finished his reverie as the cab arrived at his hotel. He thought about what to wear over his uniform. Bruce had sometimes dressed as Zorro. Oliver Queen had dressed as Robin Hood for a masked ball once when Clark was in College. Clark's heroes were scientists, astronauts and writers. He didn't think it would do to show up for battle dressed in tux like Mark Twain or a space suit like Neil Armstrong.

Kent decided he would just wear black. Then as he was charring his red boots with heat vision, he remembered the joke that Jason and Ma Kent had made with him before he left to get Green Lantern and fly to stop the meltdown. Clark grabbed his black trench coat and sunglasses on his way out.

---

Meanwhile back in Gotham, Alfred had made the requisite excuses for Bruce. Down in the Cave, Batman finished donning his uniform. The Dark Knight also added an extra armored exoskeleton with high powered laser weapons and kryptonite napalm as well as a bat-eared combat helmet. Then he climbed into a batwing shaped jet pack that would get him to Metropolis and back with two hours' station time. _Any more than that and I'll be coming back in a body bag away._

---

As he flew over the Mediterranean, the Last Son of Krypton considered what he knew about the Bizarre Imposter he would soon fight. The imposter could fly, had heat vision and wore an old version of his red cape and blue uniform. The Man of Steel reflected on the severe burns the News 5 reporter had mentioned and the blood splattered for blocks that he had seen from the skies at the first crime scene. Kal-El wondered if the Bizarre Imposter had difficulty controlling the powers and wondered if there might be a way to take advantage of that. He thought back to his training with his father, Jor-El, to the lessons in Kryptonian strategy and martial arts. Jor-El had also asked him to read human strategists like Karl von Klauswics, Sun-Tzu and Lau-Tze. The Man of Tomorrow turned their various teachings over in his mind until he believed that he found a way to exploit the Imposter's poor ability to control the powers.

---

Meanwhile back at Lex Luthor's genetic research facility another of the clones was having a different reaction to the memory implants. The implanted memories were designed to help Lex control them and at the same time create the illusion in the minds of the clones that they were, each one of them, Superman.

It was widely known even to Lex Luthor that Superman and Batman collaborated on cases together regularly. So, Lex had included a fare percentage of scenes of Batman, Robin, Batgirl and the League of Shadows in the mental programming. One of the clones identified with Batman instead of Superman. _No am Sooperman. Me am Batman, World's Worst Detective. Me am the Light Knight. Me no am hurt Gotham City. Me no am help crooks. _

For some reason this same clone who was so fascinated with the Dark Knight was also enamored with Jason White. _Me no am hate boy. Boy no am ugly. Boy no am stoopid. Me am find boy. Me am World's Worst Detective. Me no am look in Metropolis, no am look in Gotham. Me am look in Kansas. That where me am look. If me can ever get out of small tube in white room._

---

Crossing the Atlantic, the Man of Steel decided to fly over the crime scene where the Metropolis PD cops had been burned. He spotted a replica of his old uniform crumpled on the roof of a building not far away. It looked like it was crumpled over a scare crow, but there was no roof top garden and he smelled charred flesh, charred Kryptonian flesh, but that was impossible, wasn't it?

In the shadows near the crumpled costume the Man of Tomorrow saw movement. He looked at the heat spectrum and saw Bruce wearing what looked like a small armored fighter-jet. He floated in and hovered, gathering the trench coat about himself and considering the situation for a moment.

Then he got slammed from behind with the kryptonite napalm. _It's bad enough that Bruce can sneak up on me, but now his weapons can, too? _The Kryptonian thought in disbelief as he tumbled out of the sky_. How does he do it? Oh yeah. He's Batman. _He began to feel sick and the burning kryptonite was taking a toll on his back and his trench coat. _At least I can send Bruce a bill for the coat. _The Man of Steel summoned up his strength, steered over the roof tops, took a deep breath and splashed into the East River. The napalm, being made of jellied gasoline, extinguished in the water. _At least he didn't mix white phosphorous with it. Water wouldn't put that out. _He rolled on the riverbed rubbing of all the kryptonite.

When he came up for air Bruce was hovering over the water and Police and Fire boats were responding. "Sorry about that." Batman's voice boomed over the muffled sound of his stealth jet pack. "I had to be sure it was really you." Bruce hovered lower, got an arm around Clark and they jetted off into the shadows and landed on another rooftop. Clark stretched out flat below the line of sight from adjoining buildings and basked in the moonlight.

"On that other roof back there," Batman growled without the loudspeaker. "I tested that corpse with small samples of green and red kryptonite. It didn't seem to respond to them, at least not like you would have."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Clark breathed heavily. "Never mind, I don't want to know." He changed the subject, "So that scare crow looking thing in a Superman costume was what attacked the police officers?"

"Apparently." Batman tactically deflected his questioning for a moment, "Did you hire the Wachowski Brothers as your new tailor?"

"Sort of." Clark seemed to be recovering some of his strength from the sunlight reflected off of the moon. "With all the fear and anti-Superman sentiment, I thought I needed another guise. I didn't think Spiderman or John Constantine would work."

Batman almost smiled, then got back to the subject at hand, "That thing on the roof was a clone of some sort. I don't think it would be possible to gene graft that many of your powers onto a normal human. So, it had to have been grown as a whole unit. I'll have to get back to my lab; run some more tests. Robin and Batgirl are on the way to retrieve it with one of my Jets."

"So there're probably more of them." The Man of Tomorrow stated not sounding so Steel-like, just yet.

"That would be a logical assumption." The Caped Crusader responded.

"Can you look into it for me for a couple of days?" Clark asked.

"You have something more important to work on?" Bruce answered a question with a question, genuinely wondering what could possibly be more important than reckless, possibly evil and definitely bizarre Superman clones.

"We think Brainiac may have been involved in the Iranian nuclear meltdown. Plus there's this asteroid." Clark felt like he was making excuses, but he was only one man. Even if he was close to being as fast as the Titans' own speedster, Impulse his old friend Bart Allen, neither of them could be in two places at once. _Maybe clones weren't such a bad idea, or androids?_

"Asteroid?!? Tell me, Clark!" The Bat ordered.

"It's the size of Texas, headed straight for the Earth. And Jerry Bruckheimer movies not withstanding, even detonating a nuclear weapon inside of it would just split it into pieces spreading out the destruction more quickly and possibly damaging the Moon as well." Clark took a breath. Bruce waited for him to continue. "The only course of action is to slow it down enough that it falls into the Sun. I have to fly out there and slow it down some more every week for the next 18 months, just to make sure it misses the Earth."

"Can't it wait until this bizarre clone and Brainiac thing is over?" Batman protested.

"No." The Last Son of Krypton replied. "It can't."

Neither said anything for a while.

"You want to borrow one of my jets to get back to the Middle East?" The Caped Crusader broke the silence.

The Man of Tomorrow considered the offer for a moment. "Yeah. And have a new trench coat in there." Then he blushed slightly. "I don't think I want either of our Amazons to see me this banged up."

"Your Amazon -- are you and Chloe back together already?" the Dark Knight Detective pursued every lead.

Clark almost protested that they hadn't been together since sophomore year of high school, but that would make him sound like he was covering up. So, he deflected with a joke. "Are you getting a lead for Gossip Gerty, Mr. Publisher?" He coughed as though calling buit.

"I don't own that newspaper yet," Bruce replied. "Just the Daily Planet group. So, are you?"

"I'm working with her on the Brainiac thing." Clark answered frankly. "Then we'll see."

"I guess it's too soon for you." Bruce actually showed a small measure of understanding, as he stood and powered up his jet pack. "You're probably still adjusting to Lois, Richard and Jason. After all, it's only been a few months for you since you left for Krypton."

"That's right." Clark stood up to shake his friend's hand. "How did you--"

"I had my Computer work it out using Einstein's equations." He tapped some commands into a keyboard on his right forearm. "The jet will be here soon. You can voice program the autopilot."

"Thanks." The Last Son of Krypton acknowledged his ally.

The Bat just nodded and jetted skyward in the direction of Gotham.


	12. Hero Again, Part Two

Disclaimer: Siegal, Shuster, Donner, Reeve, Kitter, Singer, Routh, Welling, Mack, Brando, Marz and Johns provided inspiration. DC Comics, Warner Bros., and Bad Hat Harry Productions own the characters. Some of the ideas are my own. Some of the action is borrowed.

A Hero Again, Part II

As Clark rode across the Atlantic in Bruce's jet, his blistered back ached. He wondered again why Bruce had used the kryptonite napalm. Probably because it would have distracted one of those Bizarre Imposter Clones long enough for Bruce to back off and re-engage, even if it wasn't harmed by the kryptonite. And of course it did in fact blister Clark's back: third degree burns which wouldn't heal until he got some sunlight. If this slow jet, that could only do mach four, would ever fly through the sunrise into daylight. He slept fitfully, but over Spain he crossed into daylight. Within ten minutes, his injuries healed and he instructed the jet to slow down and let him exit, then fly back to base.

Clark finished up the rest of the trip back to Tel Aviv under his own power, wearing the replacement black trench coat Bruce had left in the seat of the jet. Back in Tel Aviv, Clark returned to his hotel room, showered and changed back into street clothes. A phone call to the front desk of his hotel to ask about room service revealed that there was none. Each suite came equipped with a kitchen. Flipping through the hotel's guide notebook, the reporter found and restaurant that would deliver some Mediterranean food and called in an order.

Then he sat down at his laptop, got into the internet and searched for additional information to complete the articles Richard had assigned to him. He poured over the local media looking for quotes from the Israeli and British Parliaments and the Iranian Council of Mullahs and Ayatollahs about the kidnapped British Sailors. He searched for quotes from the Amazons regarding Princess Diana's mediation efforts. Then he wrote up the article on the kidnapped British sailors and saved it in his machine. He would email it in to Richard and Perry later after he finished the piece on the nuclear melt down in Iran.

Clark decided to leave Superman's role in the rescue operation out of it and concentrate instead on the efforts of Green Lantern and Impulse. He also sought out quotes from the Iranian government, the Israeli government and the UN. Iran was condemning the actions of rogue American based superhumans as violations of the Freedom of Power Treaty. The Israelis were publicly denying that the Mossad had any involvement, saying that a covert team had been conducting joint operations with Turkish special operations forces near the border. The UN spokesman said sanctions against the USA and the US based heroes Green Lantern and Impulse would be introduced in the Security Council on Monday, notwithstanding all the Iranian and Russian nuclear scientists who would otherwise have died. Or worse. These scientists very loudly praised the super-humans. These same scientists also spoke equally loudly in their denials of any nuclear weapons programs. According to the scientists, it was all nuclear power facility construction and none of them would say for sure what happened but they all pointed fingers at Israel.

With the articles finished, Clark decided to call Lois, Chloe and his mother to let them know that he would be off world for a few hours. Lois didn't answer. Chloe listened supportively and bravely asked what she could do help. Clark told her to focus on Brainiac. His mother asked why he had to go away again, so soon. The Midwest farm-boy turned big city reporter reminded her of what the last asteroid had done to the dinosaurs. Finally, as Superman, he contacted Green Lantern and asked him to coordinate with Batman and defend Metropolis against any more of these Bizarre Imposter Clones.

Kyle Rayner said no problem; even from the West Coast, he could have his ring keep tabs on Metropolis and let him know if anything happened. The rookie hero went on to explain that with his Air Force training exercise completed, he had switched over to one of his other careers: art. Several of his paintings and sculptures were being shown at a Gallery in San Diego.

With that, the two heroes rang off their phone call. The Last Son of Krypton synched his news groups up from his Daily Planet PDA to his Superman PDA. Finally, he zipped up to the Fortress to change into his black space suit.

---

As Kal-El soared off into space starting his 10 hour round trip to slow down the asteroid, Batman woke from a few hours fitful rest and began an exhaustive analysis of the recovered corpse of the last Bizarre Imposter Clone. At the same time, the next of the Bizarre Imposter Clones were released from Lex Luthor's genetic engineering lab.

_Me no am Sooperman. Me am Dark Knight. Me am free from small tube in white room. Me no am World's Worst Detective. Me no am lose boy. Me am look in Kansas. _With those thoughts in mind the clone sought out a costume shop and traded his red Superman cape for a copy of Batman's cape and cowl.

The other was filled with rage. _Men am use sticks and flying machines am shot at us, am blow us up. Puny men. Me am crush and burn them. Flying man who look like bat am burn us. Flying man who look like bat am burn us with flaming green stuff. Me am make him pay. Me am make all men pay. Maybe am make women pay, too._

---

It was Sunday night on the Eastern Seaboard. The Presidential motorcade had gone back to DC already and the press corps had followed, but the President of the United States and the First Lady had snuck out of their limousine and back into the Presidential Bungalow of Camp David. With a jovial goodnight to the Secret Service agent, the President of the President strode toward the Executive Bedroom. Through the open bedroom door, he heard the First Lady washing up. He thought he might do the same, maybe enjoy extracurricular activities with the love of his life.

As he entered the bedroom, the President noticed the windows were open and the shadows near the curtains were unusually deep. On his way to investigate, he leaned forward on the balls of his feet and tightened the muscles in his arms. One word from him would bring the Secret Service Agent along with his squad and the dogs and the guards with the shotguns, but his gut told the President that none of this was needed yet.

One of the shadows grew solid and pointy eared. The President started.

"Everything okay in there Mr. President?" called the Agent at the door.

"Sure, Ving. No problems here," the President responded. "I was just surprised the First Lady opened the windows and the air's a bit nippy in here."

A low voice growled, "I'll be quick, Mr. President. I know we don't have much time and I hope you and the First Lady will enjoy yourselves this evening."

"How are things in Metropolis, Mr. Bat?"

"The police officers will recover, and it wasn't exactly Kal-El who hurt them."

"Then who exactly was it? That Martian who operates in South America and the Pacific Rim?"

"No, Mr. President. It was some kind of clone of Kal-El."

"How do you know?"

"The corpse didn't respond to Green or Red Kryptonite samples I brought with me. Kal-El did. My team is still reviewing the corpse of the clone, but evidence of soil and particulates in the wrinkles of the uniform and the treads of the boots points to the southern suburbs of Metropolis, in the hills."

The water stopped in the bathroom and the President looked over at the door for a moment. He heard the First Lady's hand on the doorknob. It wouldn't quite do to have her come out here and see him talking with the Bat like this. Hmmm what to do? "Honey? Wait a moment before you come out. Let me close up these windows out here; it's kinda drafty in here."

"So, how will you handle it if more than one of them shows up at a time?" The President asked. He wondered if kryptonite nuclear weapons, like the ones in the designs spirited out of the Iranian nuclear facility faster than a speeding laser before its meltdown, would have an effect on these Bizarro clones. But when he looked back at the pool of darkness where the Bat's voice had come from, the President saw only shadows.

---

When the Man of Steel returned from slowing the asteroid, he stopped at his listening post high in the stratosphere up over the center of North America. He heard Lois's heartbeat in Metropolis. He heard Jason's and Ma's heartbeats up north. In the Fortress. The Last Son of Krypton heard the Tone of the House of El from the Fortress and wondered if that meant his father Jor-El was somehow back. Jor-El in the Fortress, with Jason and Ma!?!? Turning north the Man of Tomorrow started toward the Fortress, but he heard other sounds coming from upstate New York: Another of the Bizarre Super Clones was lose and fighting with the US Army's 10th Division as well as Bruce and the rookie. Jason was safe. Whatever was happening in the Fortress, it could wait at least until the more immediate threat was resolved. Superman made a seven second detour by his apartment in Metropolis to grab the trench coat and sunglasses.

As the true Kryptonian flew out of Metropolis his black trench coat fluttered behind him and the wind pressed his black Wayfarers up onto his face. He circled out over the Atlantic, up around Maine, over New Brunswick and Ontario and crossed the St. Lawrence River and approached the 10th Division's training area from the West. The Man of Steel saw pieces of wheeled infantry fighting vehicles that looked much like the Marines' LAVs. Some of vehicles were ripped apart and others appeared to have been dissected by lasers. It appeared the battle had moved from south to north.

The Kryptonian finally sighted the Bizarre Imposter beating on a green shimmering force field with his bare hands. Armored soldiers fired through the shield at the clone. Telescopic vision confirmed that the soldiers had taken up a defensive perimeter around a bruised and battered Batman. The Man of Steel flew up and decked the Imposter, "Why not pick on someone your own size?" The Man of Steel kicked the Imposter into a mountain side. The Imposter flew back at the Last Son of Krypton who floated out of the way at the last second. The Imposter tripped and fell and recovered himself in Montpelier, VT. The Last Son grabbed the Bizarre Imposter by the foot and threw him out of Vermont over Connecticut and into the outskirts of Metropolis.

The Bizarre Imposter landed on target in the center of a complex of old brownstones scheduled for demolition. The two flew up into the air trading blows on the way. They crashed into the abandoned buildings shattering an entire side of one. The Bizarre Imposter's blue tunic began to tear.

The Kryptonian looked down at his trench coat and turtle neck over his black Kryptonian space suit. They seemed to be holding up well at least for the moment. He heard some news and police helicopters gathering.

Storm clouds broke and rained as the two "Supermen" sprinted through a strangely disserted street and landed titanic punches on each other. The Kryptonian flew back a few dozen yards and righted himself. The Imposter soared out over the bay and splashed into the water.

The Imposter was running out of energy. _Me no am need darkness. Too tired to fly. Me no am stand still. Me run like Flash_. He tore off to the west at a run breaking the sound barrier in the foothills and took a flying leap off the Appalachian Mountains, soared over the Midwest and landed in the Sonora Desert, east of LA, where the sun was still shining. The sunlight flooded his cells and he grew stronger.

Kal-El leapt back into the sky and darted west. He could hear one of the news analysts in the helicopter talking to his anchor back in New York, "Yes, Neil, if I were watching this on video screens like the folks at home, I might think it was all some strange promotional trailer for a new film from the Wachowski Brothers. The flying man in the black trench coat and sunglasses bears a striking resemblance to the hero of their 1999 hit movie and its two sequels." He paused for a moment. Kal didn't waste concentration finding the anchor's comment in the torrent of sound filling his ears. The reporter continued, "Absolutely, witnessing it firsthand in person is … devastating. Yes, they just took off to the west. We can't follow them, no. Superman is probably going to find sunlight to recharge his powers. The trench-coated hero is flying after him. Right. Cut to commercial."

The Last Son of Krypton had an idea. It would cost him a few minutes and let the imposter charge up in the sunlight, but it just might work. Darting west over the desert, he sighted the imposter lying on the floor of the Sonora Desert basking in the sunset. It wouldn't charge his powers up as much as full sun, but the Bizarre Imposter probably didn't realize that. With his black trench coat fluttering behind him, the Man of Steel circled Los Angeles and San Diego a couple of times. Soon he had a flock of news copters following him. The Man of Steel accelerated southeast into the desert.

Kal cruised east into the desert and found the Imposter. They traded some blows. The Man of Tomorrow employed some Kryptonian Ju-Jitsu and Deja Fu to drain the Imposter's powers. When the news choppers had closed in and formed a circular perimeter, he closed in on the Bizarre Imposter and then burned off his cape and tunic with heat vision.

The reporters began to chatter about Superman's uniform being burned off. No one had ever seen that before. Many had seen Superman lose a cape from time to time, but none had ever seen damage to the presumably alien fibers of his uniform. Grabbing the Bizarre Imposter Clone by the throat, Kal-El looked into his eyes. He saw confusion in those eyes and pain, not physical pain but deep emotional pain.

Kal cocked his head to the side and thought he heard the unique of hum of Green Lantern's power ring closing in from the east. He knew he had only moments to pull this off. He held the Imposter at bay and flew in a circle past each of the helicopter reporters in succession. They all began to chatter about the appearance of Superman. His skin looked waxy, pale and weathered. He is chest and ribs were lean like a starving man. You should smell this guy's breath, the real Kryptonian thought.

When he was certain he had all of their attention, The Man of Steel shrugged out of his trench coat. The Imposter obliged him by scorching off part of the black turtleneck and exposing the uniquely textured Kryptionan fabric of the true Superman uniform. The Man of Tomorrow licked a finger and pulled down his spit curl, then pocketed his sunglasses.

The reporters had begun talking about the Superman before them as not truly Superman, but rather a strange Bizarro Imposter. Another burst of heat vision from the Bizarro shredded the remainder of Kal-El's turtle neck, exposing his Kryptonian family crest. The plain crimson of the true Superman's cape fluttered in the winds. A final burst Bizarro's head vision had no effect on Superman's tunic. The clone knew its time was running out. "Me no am true Sooperman. You am Superman."

With a last burst of strength Bizarro wrestled out of Superman's grasp and flew west out of view of the news helicopters, over the Pacific chasing the setting sun. When he caught up to it he rose about the clouds and continued west through the sunset into the full sunlight of afternoon over the Polynesian Islands. As the glare of the full sun infused his cells the Bizarro's mussels swelled again and he looked less like a starving man. But his core temperature began to rise as well. He fought to control it. He flew east back into the night over LA, into the shadow of the Earth but his temperature continued to rise. His cells had processed too much solar energy and he was burning up from the inside. Soon Bizarro had charred into ash blown away in the winds.

Back in the desert east of LA, Green Lantern had joined Superman and was filling him in on the conversation he'd had with the Israeli Commander of Air Forces.

Then Superman asked about his art opening in San Diego. Kyle explained that was joint expo of West Coast wildlife artists. The show included some of Wyland's and Pitre's marine life paintings as well some of Rayner's work from the redwood forrest and the Sonora Desert. Kyle felt thrilled to be included with Wyland and Pitre. GL turned the conversation back to the conflict with the Bizarro clones.

"Oh, I met one of your old friends there."

"Yeah?"

"I met the original intrepid girl reporter, Chloe Sullivan or Cassiopeia as the Amazons call her. She put up a hell of a fight along with Batman and myself against that clone. When my ring alerted us to a disturbance in Smallville, KS, Cassiopeia took off by herself and the Bat said to let her go. She had already shown she could hold her own. I caught up to her a few miles away and gave her something."

"What?"

"Just something to complete her powers."

"You gave her a ring?"

"No, just a lapel pin."

"I don't get it."

"I'm not sure it will work, but make sure she wears it any time she goes into a fight."

"Yeah, Chloe's been with me since before the beginning. She's more important than either of us know." Smallville. That would explain why Ma and Jason were up at the Fortress. Chloe must have activated the Portal in the Koachee caves and sent them. Superman listened and didn't hear Chloe's heartbeat.

In seconds the Last Son of Krypton stood there next to the Newest Amazon at the Portal in the Koachee caves. The Man of Tomorrow looked down on the shattered corpse of his friend. She was speared into the floor of the cave: A steel pipe ran through her chest just below the solar plexus and emerged above the shoulder blades in the back. Dried blood caked around it on both sides. She laid there motionless. The Man of Steel showed that he possessed a human heart as his face twisted up into a mask of regret and anguish. Tears streaked his cheeks.

The voice of his father, Jor-El, echoed in his mind, "You are forbidden to interfere in human history. Whatever happens, must stay happened."

The voice of his dad, Jonathan Kent, followed, "Son, you were sent here by a Higher Power with a Greater Purpose, and that's not just dusting crops."

Then Chloe's voice echoed in his mind as well, from the day when he had used Kryptonian technology to turn back the clock and spare Lana's life, "What are you going to do, Clark? Spin the world backwards and turn back time?" He had done just that for Lois when he'd arrived too late to save her from the earthquakes caused by Lex Luthor's redirected nuclear missiles. He leapt up into the sky and his black trench coat fluttered in the wind. The Man of Tomorrow put his black sunglasses back on. As he hardened himself against what he had to do he heard Chloe's voice again echoing forward from his past. "Hey, Clark, are you going to get back down here and pull this pole out of me or do I have to do it myself?" Wait a minute. She never said anything like that before. Could it be? Had he misread her pulse and breathing?

The Last Son of Krypton again knelt next to the Newest Amazon and looked over her again with joy and pain fighting for control of his face. "How?" was the only word he could get through his lips.

Chloe slowly raised her left hand to the black vinyl lapel of her jacket and fingered a lapel pin that resembled Green Lantern's Ring. "Green Lantern Express." She said weekly. "Don't leave home without it."

"What?" Superman asked, confused.

"It's a Lantern Corps reserve charge," the Amazon whispered through cracked lips with a bruised face. "It protects the bearer against mortal injury while engaged in sanctioned combat." She struggled to smile and reached up tentatively to take his hand.

"Oh," the Man of Steel said as though he understood completely. He was sure it would make sense later. Right now all he knew was that his friend and confidante was alive and feelings of relief and gratitude to that Highest of Powers who worked in mysterious through alien science to save his …friend. Somehow the word friend didn't do justice for the feelings he had right then. He was sure that would sort itself out too.

"Clark, how about a hand with this pole, huh?"

"Oh, right." He blurred for an instant and handed Chloe a popsicle stick. "Here, bight down on this." Then he took the pole and yanked it out of her. She collapsed in a heap, fainted from the pain. Then Man of Tomorrow gave her a hand up.

"Fire up the portal, Son of Krypton. Let's go see your family."


End file.
